


Burn Break Crash

by NaryCanary



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bipolar Disorder, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Road Trips, Slow Build, Spontaneous Adventures, Urban Exploration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 01:57:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 89,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10526478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaryCanary/pseuds/NaryCanary
Summary: When Katie "Pidge" Holt arranged a special road trip with her boyfriend that doesn't go according to plan, she somehow throws herself in an unexpected predicament and now must take responsibility for it. What is it she must do? Take Keith Kogane—an attractive, mysterious, arrogant guy from school—on the road with her across the country.Growing up, Pidge was always taught to look both ways before crossing the street to avoid accidents. Nobody ever told her what to do with her life if it happens to crash and go up in flames.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [Vanessa](http://volleyballin.co.vu/) for being 110% supportive of this idea when I wasn't sure if it was a good one to begin with. ♥

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge finds out her boyfriend has been telling the school they’ve been sleeping together, despite it not being true. Out of anger, she accidentally runs over Keith’s bike—a guy she’s been secretly admiring from afar.

After five minutes of attempting to close the suitcase using her own body weight, Katie “Pidge” Holt slumped back on her heels and groaned defeatedly. She didn’t understand why she was having trouble closing the damn thing, especially when she carefully followed the _How To Pack A Luggage_ guideline she found somewhere online. The instructions had been pretty straightforward and easy enough to follow, so why the hell was she still struggling?

Her head dropped to the side as she exhaled tiredly, feeling a light sheen of sweat on the back of her neck. She briefly listened to the sounds of her best friends actively slamming their fingers on her PS4 control buttons in the living room before deciding to interrupt their gaming session.

“Lance! Hunk!” She called out from the bedroom. “Can one of you come help me out?”

There was a few seconds of gunshots firing and victory music playing on the television screen before one of them acknowledged her plea.

“I was beginning to wonder when you were gonna ask.” It was Hunk who answered first.

Pidge crossed her arms and huffed in response.

“You sure like to struggle for fun.” Lance snickered while entering the room. “I thought for sure you were going to keep at it for at least another ten minutes.”

“Shut up and get this thing to close for me."

“Alright. Stay still.”

Pidge obliged and watched Lance effortlessly close the remaining gap of her luggage. He zipped it up and patted the prominent bulge in the center.

“You made sure you got everything in there for your trip?” He asked.

“Yupp.” She nodded, eyes beaming.

Lance grinned and ruffled her head.

“I haven’t seen you this excited since you figured out how to do that API stuff at your job with that Aussie dude.”

“He was the most incompetent tech I’ve ever had to work with!" Pidge complained and rolled her eyes. "The guy had no idea how to place simple tags on these websites and always uploaded the wrong client key on our tracking platform. Then he had the nerve to tell me I was the one implementing these parameters incorrectly when it was clear as day he kept screwing everything up! Seriously, who gave him the title as—”

“You know you lost me somewhere in the beginning, right?”

Pidge sighed. “Just know Aussie dude was a stupid tech.”

“At least it’s over and you’re going on a road trip with _Doh-meh-nick.”_

“Ew.” Her face scrunched up in distaste. “Please don’t ever say Dominique’s name in your Spanish accent. It sounds gross.”

“I agree.” Hunk finally stopped playing the game and joined the conversation, taking a seat on the bean bag in the corner of the room. “You’re butchering the poor man’s name.”

“Oh come on! Pidge _finally_ settles down with a guy and I can’t poke fun at it?” Lance harrumphed.

She knew Lance meant no harm in his statement, but Pidge couldn’t ignore the tiny stab in her gut. While her friends believed the reason she's been flying solo for awhile was due to no one catching her eye, the truth is that nobody's been interested in her. At least in the way she wanted.

It also doesn't help that many people at Altea University are gossiping about her newfound relationship with Dominique. Everyone has been wondering and speculating how Katie Holt—a quiet, lonesome girl who is always winning first place in all tech related competitions in the region and preferred to stay in rather than go out—could have caught the interest of someone who was seemingly unattainable and loved being the center of attention.

“Where is Dominique anyway?” Hunk asked.

“Getting in one last workout at the gym before we hit the road tomorrow morning.” Pidge rolled off the suitcase and reached for her phone charging on the nightstand. “It may be awhile. He’s with his friends.”

“Ah, I see. He’s gotta keep his muscles cut to impress the family.” Lance’s jaw tightened. “Bet you appreciate that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know…” Lance tried to explain with inappropriate hand movements, in which further confused her.

“I don’t get it.”

He did it again.

"Uh..." Pidge raised a questionable brow.

“Are you being for real right now?”

She blinked. “Yes.”

"I'm sticking my finger in a circle and you have no idea what it means?"

"I know what it means, but what the hell are you trying to tell me?"

"It's obvious!"

"It's really not..."

“Alright, I can’t hold it in anymore.” Hunk straightened up, sighed heavily, and rubbed his thighs. Pidge is familiar with these little actions from him and immediately set her phone aside. He always did this whenever he’s about to confess what’s been bothering him. “Katie, you need to go talk to Dominique.”

When he says her birth name, that’s when Pidge knows it’s serious.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“This morning when Lance and I were getting breakfast, we overheard Dominique telling his friends something risque..." Hunk hesitated. "It was about the two of you."

“Like?”

“He’s been telling everyone you two finally had sex last weekend and was describing certain stuff." Lance frowned deeply. “In great detail might I add.”

Pidge’s body suddenly became taut and locked.

“He’s been... _what?”_

Her best friends knew the question had been rhetorical and remained silent, allowing Pidge to process the news. Lance waited for the shock to fade from her horrified face before he sharply turned on his heels and stomped out the bedroom.

“Alright, I’m going to go find him and kick his ass again,” Lance announced and started rolling up his sleeves.

_"Again?!”_ Pidge jerked her head towards Hunk. “What the hell does he mean?”

“A little bit of confrontation happened,” Hunk answered while he shot up from his seat and managed to catch up to Lance in the hallway. He grabbed Lance by the shoulders and marched him right back around to Pidge’s room.

“Lance…” Pidge started in a warning tone. “Tell me what you did.”

“I only did what needed to be done.” Lance scowled and crossed his arms. “I couldn’t ignore the bullshit coming out his mouth.”

“We don’t know if he’s telling the truth or not,” Hunk said and eyed Pidge. “Is he?”

“It doesn’t matter. You just don’t go spreading your sex life around as if it’s entertainment news!”

“You do it all the time,” Hunk reminded flatly.

“Only to you guys, and that’s cause’ you don’t have big mouths like Dominique’s clique.”

“I can’t believe he would do this,” Pidge muttered and stared at the ground. “Why the hell would be do this?"

“If you’re gonna go confront him I’m tagging along. I’m ready to shut this crap down.” Lance rolled his sleeves back up. “Hunk and I never liked him anyway.”

“Lance!” Hunk hissed through his teeth.

Pidge’s head snapped up. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Excuse me?”

Lance realized his mistake and tried to revise his words. “I—I mean...we don’t like him like the way _you_ do because y’know, he’s _your_ boyfriend and it would be _really_ wrong for us to like him like that—”

“I’ve been going out with Dominique for several months and I’m just _now_ learning how you two feel about him?”

“We didn’t want to rain on your parade,” Hunk guiltily explained. “I mean, you seemed so excited and thrilled when he asked you out. Who are we to ruin that for you?”

“So instead of telling me the truth, you both decided to lie to me.”

“Katie—”

“Unbelievable.” Pidge briskly walked around them and snatched the closest pair of boots her hands could find.

“Where are you going?”

“Out to get dinner.”

Before Hunk or Lance could get another word out, the front door slammed shut and echoed throughout the apartment. As they glanced worriedly at each other, they could hear the sound of Pidge’s footsteps stomping away.

* * *

  
“Cash or card?”

“I’m paying cash.” Pidge handed over the money. “How long?”

“It’s busy night so... half an hour.”

She nodded. "Okay."

“Here’s your receipt and order number.” The cashier tore off the tiny piece of paper from the register and handed it to Pidge, along with the change. “We’ll call you when it’s ready.”

“Thanks.” Pidge stuffed everything inside her wallet and moved aside for the next customer. She could sense them staring at her and naturally turned her head to look back. Her eyes bugged and her eyebrows raised when she realized it was Keith Kogane.

Keith was somebody Pidge had never spoke to, yet knew so much about. Her prime sources of information came from Lance and her older brother Matt, since he knew Keith’s brother and was friends with him. There has been a few occasions where Keith became a hot topic around campus and Pidge never bothered to find out why. If it had been newsworthy, she’d hear it from Lance.

Keith and Lance have a weird rivalry relationship between them, but nothing serious enough to be worried about. The two are the only ones in the entire school majoring in aerospace engineering; studying aircraft and spacecraft to become astronauts one day. Though instead of taking the chance to develop a friendship, Lance decided he had something better to prove and ultimately claimed a non-existing competition between them. Keith had tried to ignore Lance’s ridiculous antics in the beginning, except it appeared he was equally as hotheaded as Lance (maybe more) and doesn't back down from a challenge when presented.

Keith always had the higher grades and performed better in class exercises, thus making Lance jealous of him. For this reason, Lance always jumped at every opportunity to try and one-up Keith, hoping he'd win against him in _something._

Til’ this day, Lance has yet to defeat Keith in anything.

As her best friend, Pidge obviously felt sympathy for Lance and does her best to cheer him up whenever he was upset.

Nevertheless, there was always a small part of her that also felt bad for Keith.

She would shake off the strange feeling and give her undivided attention to Lance, but at the end of the day she could never fight the urge to glimpse over her shoulder to look at Keith, always wondering how he was doing since she's never seen him hang out with anyone else on campus.

Keith had long teared his gaze away from Pidge and was now swiping a debit card in the credit card machine. She jerked herself out of her daydream and searched the cafe for a place to sit while she waited for her food.

The only available seats she could find was a corner booth with a disgusting stain covering most of the bench. She sighed and sat on the edge, bouncing her legs impatiently and fiddling with her wallet. She had been so upset at Lance and Hunk earlier, she had forgotten to take her phone.

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

Pidge raised her head to see Keith pointing at the space across from her and _dammit—_ him being this close reminded her of how unfairly attractive he was. There's been plenty of times Lance has made of the way Keith looks—mainly about the mullet—but Pidge couldn’t deny the incredible physique he had and how gorgeous his eyes are. He had a fascinating array of violets and blues with a hazy gray shade clouding over to add the mystifying touch. If Lance hadn’t been "enemies" with him and Pidge was bold enough, she definitely would’ve made the effort to get to know him better.

“I don’t mind.”

“Cool.” Keith nodded once and sat down. He took out his phone and started texting.

For the rest of the wait, Pidge focused her attention on the local news playing on the television screen above the register. When her order number was called, she hurriedly grabbed her food and left, mentally telling herself to not indulge in one more glance at Keith.

She missed the way Keith’s eyes lingered on her form until she disappeared.  
  


* * *

_  
"I really don’t see the problem here. We’re gonna be doing it anyway on this road trip. What’s the issue with telling everybody we’re banging now?”_

Pidge rubbed her temples as she recited Dominique’s words in her head from their earlier phone conversation. She still couldn’t believe they came out his mouth and even more so, had been expecting her to see it the way he did. After that, the only thing she remembered was yelling curses at him and ending the call without a goodbye.

“Damn idiot,” she muttered, taking a forceful bite out of her noodles.

“He’s a grade A asshole,” Lance added.

“He is,” Hunk agreed.

“Don’t think this means you two are off the hook.” Pidge glared at them. “How come neither one of you came to me when this happened?”

“In our defense, we tried,” Lance explained. “But you were too busy booking motels and planning places to sightsee at the last minute you completely ignored all our phone calls. Then when we came over, you were packing and getting excited about the trip.”

“Well color me the opposite of excitement, because he’s not coming with me to meet my family in Florida.”

“You broke up with him?” Hunk questioned.

“No.” Pidge sighed. “I... we’re taking a small break.”

“So you broke up with him.”

“It’s a _break.”_

Lance and Hunk exchanged questionable glances. Pidge rolled her eyes and ended the conversation.

The three lapsed into silence and resumed their meals, listening to the music on the radio and enjoying each other's company. Once done, they migrated into the living room, where the boys excitedly started sharing the plans they had for the next couple of months. Hunk was going back to his country for his cousin’s wedding and mother’s baby shower, while Lance is flying to England with his older brother and sisters to travel.

Pidge smiled softly at the twinkle in their eyes, knowing they were stoked about their trips and was happy for them. Just because she was temporarily feeling shitty didn’t mean she was going to discourage her best friends from talking about it.

This will be the first time the trio would be spending their summer vacations apart since they've known each other. As Pidge cleared the kitchen counter and tossed the trash away, she guiltily concluded it couldn’t have happened at a more unfortunate time.  
  


* * *

  
“I’m gonna miss you guys.”

“Relax big guy.” Lance patted Hunk’s shoulders and gave it a squeeze. “Pidge and I bought the international plan for our phones. You’re free to text and call us whenever.”

“Skype is also an option,” Pidge reminded. “So you better use it.”

“I will.” Hunk sniffled and wrapped them both in a group hug, squeezing Pidge in the middle. “I don’t want to forget your faces!”

“You have a picture of us on your lock screen.” Lance laughed, a light tint on his cheeks. “I think your memory will be fine.”

Hunk grinned. “I do too.”

The two were lost in their own little world until Pidge’s hand shot up in front of their faces and used her arms to push some distance between them. She heaved loudly to get some air back into her lungs and glared up at them. “Suffocation is one of the top causes of death, you know.”

“Sorry,” Hunk apologized sheepishly and checked his watch. “Well, I better get going. I should’ve checked in like, 10 minutes ago.”

“Alright.” Lance embraced him for the tenth time. “Let us know when you land.”

“For sure.” Hunk bent down to give Pidge a proper a hug as well. “And I hope everything works out for you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Pidge assured and pulled away. “Now go before your flight takes off without you on board.”

Hunk stuck around for at least five more minutes, idly conversing with Lance until Pidge pushed him towards the check-in line, telling him he’d miss his flight if he didn’t start moving soon. Once he was ready to go, he waved one last teary-eyed goodbye and went in the TSA line.

Pidge and Lance watched Hunk until he was done getting checked by security and disappeared behind the glass doors leading to his terminal. Lance’s shoulders deflated as he whined.

“I wish we could all go somewhere together,” he mused.

“And by _we,_ you mean _you two_ only.” Pidge smirked and crossed her arms.

“I’m not leaving you out of the equation.”

“You’re not. I was choosing to subtract myself. That way, you boys can divide some legs and—”

“Enough!” Lance interrupted and covered his ears. “I don't want to hear this.”

“It’s been a year and you haven’t made any progress since you caught the lovebug. What the hell is up?”

“It’s _different.”_

“It’s _Hunk.”_

“That’s why! Don’t you see?” Lance took Pidge’s hands in a death grip and yanked her forward until their foreheads touched. “I. Need. Help.”

“Alright, first of all—some personal space is appreciated!” Pidge pushed him away. “Second... why? You never needed help before getting with someone.”

“Hunk isn’t just _someone_ and you know it.”

“I also know you have nothing to worry about.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Dude, I am the main one watching you two tiptoe around your feelings like you’re dancing on broken glass. I have seen everything—the lovey dovey eyes, the not-so-subtle touches, and the blatant flirty comments you two always give each other. I’ll admit it was cute in the beginning, but now I kinda need you both to get together.”

“I don’t know,” Lance moaned. “I’m worried I’ll screw things up.”

“You screw up a lot. Hunk and I are still here.”

“Not helping.”

“Lance,” Pidge began in a stern voice, “do you love Hunk?”

Lance raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.

"Then say it," she demanded.

“What’s with the sergeant tone?”

“Do you love Hunk?” Pidge repeated, enunciating each word loud and clear. When Lance only stared, she took a step forward and pulled him down to her eye-level. “Answer me!”

“Alright alright!"

A momentary silence.

"What are you waiting for?" Pidge shook him. "Say it!"

"People are staring!" Lance tried to tell her.

"I don't care. Say it. Do you love Hunk?"

"Yes, I love him.”

“Louder.”

Lance huffed and decided to ignore the questionable stares aiming their way. “I love Hunk.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“I love him.” He blushed.

“Who and how long?”

“Hunk dammit!” Lance shouted, cheeks getting redder. “I love Hunk! I’ve been in love with him for about a year!”

“Do you?”

“Yes, I do!”

“Then this is what you’re going to do,” Pidge softened her voice to a gentle whisper and grabbed his shoulders. “When we come back here in 3 months to pick him up, you’re going to tell him you love him the minute he gets off that plane.”

“I-I am?” Lance stuttered.

“You are,” Pidge confirmed with a small smile. “Lance, I can’t think of any other couple who matches together perfectly the way you two do. You guys deserve each other. I want you two to be happy.”

Lance’s face flushed as his lips broke into a knowing grin. “I know you do. You’ve always been our number one fan.”

“And that’s never going to change.” Pidge chuckled and looped her arm around Lance’s. “Let’s go. I have a special date with a long road ahead of me and I need your help to load everything in my car.”

“Are you sure you want to do this road trip alone?” Lance frowned. “You know I can cancel—”

_“Nope._ I reject your company.”

“I don’t like the idea of you going by yourself. You gotta send me a message every two hours. Better yet, turn on the tracking device in your phone so I can check on you whenever."

“If it’ll ease your mind, fine. I swear you’re worse than Matt sometimes.”

“I can’t help it. You’re like a little sister to me.” Lance bumped her shoulder. “I tend to worry about you.”

If Pidge was honest, she was a little worried about herself too. For reasons she couldn’t explain.  
  


* * *

   
_"Where are you?”_ Dominique asked through the car’s Bluetooth. Hearing his cracked and gruff voice would usually lighten Pidge’s mood, especially after having a rough week. Today, it made her want to snap at him like a cat getting its tail pulled.

Instead, she opted to converse with him as calmly as possible.

“I'm going to get money from the bank.”

_“Ok. Are you swinging by afterwards to come pick me up?”_

Pidge’s fingers clenched hard around the steering wheel as her jaw tightened.

“No.”

_“Where are you going after?”_

“Off the interstate near the plaza,” she answered in a stone cold voice.

_“Wait... I’m not coming with you? You were serious about that last night?”_

“Correct,” Pidge spat as she drove into the bank’s parking lot. “I decided to change the plan.”

_“That don’t include me—your boyfriend?”_

What the fuck? How dare he act offended after everything he did? He had some nerve for someone who hasn’t apologized yet for his behavior!

“My boyfriend wouldn’t be desecrating my reputation to upgrade his own.”

_“I wasn’t doing that.”_

Pidge felt a blood vessel in her forehead tick with annoyance and wondered how many curse words she could jam into a single sentence to get her point across.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

_“Why are you still upset about it?”_

Her mouth dropped open as she stared in disbelief at Dominique’s name glowing on the radio screen.

“Because it’s not true!” Pidge yelled as if he was physically there, unaware that she was drifting into the empty parking spaces.

_“It’s gonna be though, right?”_

The narcissistic response became the first major catalyst in Pidge’s life.

In the mist of rage, Pidge accidentally pressed down on the gas pedal and lurched the car forward. Next thing she knew, she heard something hit the front of her vehicle, felt it go under, and heard a sickening _crunch._ The faint smell of trampled rubber instantly reached her nose and her eyes flew wide open to its width capacity.

_Oh shit._

Pidge reversed the car and scrambled out, completely ignoring Dominique’s insistent questioning and left her keys in the ignition. Panic rose in the pit of her stomach as she jogged around to see what she had ran over.

It turned out to be a bicycle—one Pidge had thoroughly destroyed.

Suddenly, the front doors to the bank shoved opened.

Somehow, she  _knew_ trouble was heading her way.

“What the hell did you do?!”

“Oh no…” Pidge squeezed her eyes shut upon hearing the angry voice and clenched her hands into fists. She raised them over her mouth and dreadfully listened to the enraged footsteps approaching her rapidly. She heard the person gasped sharply and flinched, instinctively turning her head away.

Humiliation prevented her from watching the owner of the bicycle dropped to their knees and touch the handle bars. The sounds of horrendous screeching filled the parking lot as they tried to maneuver it back in place. After several more attempts of trying to get the bike to stand back up, Pidge could physically feel a new wave of rage flare directly at her.

“You _crushed_ my bike!”

_‘What a way to state the obvious,’_ Pidge couldn’t help to think inwardly. She then mentally scolded herself for acting impudent.

“Are you shitting me?”

She dared peeled one eyelid open; not quite looking at the heated stranger just yet. She’s ashamed to.

“Were you even looking to see where you were going?!”

She remained silent and immobile.

“Hey! I know you’re not deaf.” There was an abrupt grip on her shoulder that forced her to turn around. _“Answer me!”_

The last thing Pidge expected was to be looking up at a piercing set of eyes she had been admiring since she started college. All the air was sucked out of her lungs as she had difficulty forming the person’s name on her lips.

“K-Keith?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” His glare intensified. “And you crushed my bike, _Katie.”_

He spat her name like it was venom, poison—like she was created for the sole purpose of being the dirt underneath his feet. Like she was a tainted being who ruined everything in his life. Like she was someone he was about to beat to a pulp.

“I’m _so_ sorry,” Pidge apologized and peered down at the bike. Damn, she pulverized it good. “I can pay to get this fixed right now o-or even buy you a new one—”

“As much as you owe it to me, I don’t have the time.” Keith growled and bent down to unbuckle the chains off the pedals. “I have somewhere I really need to be.”

“I can take you there!” Pidge offered, wincing at how high her pitch was when she spoke. “Doesn’t matter if it’s in the opposite direction I’m heading to or if it’s far. I have no problem at all!”

“I doubt it.” Keith thrusted the metal chain inside his backpack. “I’m going somewhere you can’t take me.”

“Try me,” Pidge challenged and crossed her arms. If she had to behave stubbornly like Lance and give Keith no way out, she will. She wasn’t going to let the poor guy go anywhere on foot, especially since she seemed to have ruined his only source of transportation.

“Fine.” Keith stood on his feet and turned to face her completely, as she expected. “I’m going to Florida.”

What she wasn’t expecting was  _that_ to be his answer.

“Florida?”

“Yeah.” He adjusted the straps on his shoulders. “Doesn’t sound like a place you can take me to, huh?”

“Which part of Florida?”

Keith scrunched his brows. “That’s none of your business.”

Pidge breathed in and out slowly, prepping herself for her next choice of words. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do.

“It might be, since that’s where I’m going as well.”

His eyes flew wide open. “What? Seriously?”

Pidge nodded with hesitance. “I’m going to visit my family for the summer.” Her heart began to beat rapidly and her palms were starting to sweat “I can... you can put the bike in the trunk and come with me on the road. I don’t mind—”

“Pass.”

Jeez, Lance hadn’t been exaggerating when he explained how Keith avoided people’s company like they were a plague. It triggered a horrible coil in the pit of her stomach.

“It’s really no big deal. I had originally planned this trip with someone else, but they aren’t going to come with me anymore. We can get to Florida in as little as three days.”

“Thanks but no thanks. Because if you’re a serial killer, I’d rather get to Florida on foot.”

Pidge’s eye twitched. “I’m not a serial killer.”

“That’s exactly what a killer would say.”

“Real killers don’t lie on their body counts. The most infamous ones don’t even do the dirty work themselves.”

“You could be one of them.”

“Take a real good look at me—do I _look_ dangerous to you?”

“No, but your fly is down.”

Pidge quizzically glanced down at the front of her jeans. Sure enough, her fastener was wide open and she hurriedly turned away from Keith’s view to zip it up. For fuck sake— as if she hadn’t been embarrassed enough for one day!

“You're welcome,” he muttered and started walking away. “See ya.”

“Are you just going to leave your bike here?”

“I’m leaving it for you to clean up. Your mess after all.”

“... wait a minute.” Pidge narrowed her eyes, glancing back and forth between Keith and the bike. She did this several more times until realization hit her and gasped. “Were you planning to ride your bike across the country?!”

“You sound surprised.”  
  
“Damn straight I am!” Pidge caught up to Keith and grabbed his arm. She couldn’t help to notice how firm and muscular it felt underneath her touch. “Are you _insane?”_

“It’s just cardio. Nothing I can’t handle.”

What the hell was he training for? A triathlon?

“If that’s the case, how are you going to travel now without a bike?”

Keith shrugged. “There’s a train station across the street. I can use that.”

“Have you ever rode on a train before?”

“How hard can it be? I'll just look at the map.”

“Keith—”

"I can figure it out."

"But—"

“Look, I appreciate what you’re doing and it’s really nice, but I’d rather not be a burden and do this alone.”

“Keith, the train station is closed. Look.”

He followed her line of vision and saw that indeed, the train station has been shut down for temporary construction. His shoulders slumped and he exhaled heavily.

Great, now what was he supposed to do?

“Don’t you have a car?” Pidge remembered seeing him drive around in a Civic before. “Why are you using a bike in the first place?”

“It’s not mine. It’s my older brother’s.”

She wanted to press for more information, but sensed an invisible barrier fall around Keith and decided against it. She knew when to stop digging for answers when they didn’t want to be found.

“My offer still stands,” she tried again, almost begging.

“Like I said before, I’ll pass.” Keith readjusted the straps on his shoulders. “Later.”

This time, Pidge didn’t stop him.  
  


* * *

  
It was one thing sitting in the car for seven hours while driving on the road. It was another sitting in the car for seven hours watching a lonesome boy sit underneath the pier at a private beach, overlooking the sea.

If Lance or Hunk were aware of what Pidge was doing, they would’ve flat out accused her of being a stalker. She was kind of being one at the moment, she admitted.

Really though, what the hell was she supposed to do? Leave Keith to fend for his own after she ran over his bike? Pidge may be unnecessarily sarcastic at times, but she wasn’t a total bitch.

After Keith left the bank, Pidge took it upon herself to put his crushed bicycle in the trunk of her car. She hadn’t figured out what she was going to do with it yet, but leaving it there on the street wasn’t an option. She struggled to get it to fit and had to throw some textbooks and a water jug in the backseat to get the trunk to successfully close. As soon as she did, she hurriedly grabbed some money from the ATM machine at the bank and jumped back in the car to search for Keith.

She found him in no time and followed him all the way to the nearest beach. It took him half an hour to get there on foot and Pidge had to take a few detours in the neighborhood to keep her sight on him. Once they entered the parking lot, she pulled the car up as close to the curb as possible and waited for him.

What Keith is doing here is beyond her and she’s not entirely sure what she was sticking around for. He rejected her proposal to drive him to Florida twice and said no to her offer to pay for the bike damages. She probably did everything a decent person could do to make this situation right and was already planning to find out where he lived so she could at least send him an apology check.

“How much more can I do?” Pidge muttered, running her fingers through her hair and closed her tired eyes. When an immediate answer wasn’t magically given from thin air, she sighed and dropped her head back. "How much..."

Even before Pidge repeated her question, she knew why she was putting so much effort into helping Keith.

It made her feel incredibly guilty.

Pidge was about to turn on the car and go. She had almost convinced herself her help isn’t wanted and should get on the road. She already delayed her trip by a full day and wasted time hopelessly trying to assist someone. She was tired, hungry, and in desperate need of caffeine if she was going to drive without a break towards her destination.

She had just buckled her seatbelt and turned her keys in the ignition when the passenger door suddenly opened.

“Gah!” Pidge cried and frantically grabbed a crowbar from the dashboard, holding it up and ready to strike at the intruder.

“Shit! Watch where you point that thing!” The intruder shockingly turned out to be Keith. He had taken several steps back and had a protective arm over his face. “Are you crazy?!”

Pidge’s mouth dropped and her nose twitched. “I... I—”

“Didn’t you see me coming?”

She clamped her lips shut and gawked at the spot he was sitting at not too long ago. She hadn’t seen him move at all.

“Mind putting the deadly weapon down?" Keith asked and lowered his arm. "I’ll feel a lot safer getting inside the car.”

“Why are you coming in here?”

“How else do you expect me to ride with you?”

What?

Huh?

Did Pidge hear him right?

No... she couldn’t have. Quick, someone please drop a brick on her head to ensure she wasn’t conjuring up ridiculous scenarios in her mind.

“Y-You’re taking up on my offer?”

“Looks like it since it doesn’t seem like you’re going to leave me alone, now can you please put away the crowbar?”

Pidge carefully placed the metal rod back on the dashboard and gripped the steering wheel, breathing in deeply.

Keith warily entered the vehicle and closed the door, scanning the contents in the car with a raised eyebrow. Pidge didn’t appreciate how he was acting like a suspicious cop and scowled.

“Is there a problem, _officer?”_

Keith responded with a glare. “You ran over my bike, _miss.”_

May the power of a supernatural being grant Pidge's silent plea to get through this road trip without causing any more accidents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [tumblr](http://narycanary.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/narycanary)


	2. Shut Up And Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Keith did not sign up for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm cringing at my own title for this chapter but you know what it might just be the only appropriate time to use it and dammit I'm gonna do it.
> 
> ON ANOTHER NOTE, check out [this](http://k-lionheart-art.tumblr.com/post/159207232494/change-keith-x-pidge-i-heard-them-calling-in) fucking amazing cover art I commissioned Kat to do for this story! It's so beautiful it makes me cry ***sobs forever***
> 
> Enjoy!

_“Dominique isn’t coming to visit?”_

“No mom.” Pidge sighed and transferred the phone to her other ear. “We had a fight. I already explained this to Matt. Didn’t he tell you?”

_“Oh sweetie. I’m sure everything will work out. You’re intelligent.”_

She smirked at the compliment. “It’s cause' I got it from you. Don’t tell dad that though.”

Her mother chuckled. _“My lips are sealed. Does this mean we’ll be expecting you very soon? I know you’ve made arrangements to explore the country a little bit before your arrival. Are you still going to?”_

“I don’t think so.” Pidge glanced over at the passenger seat where Keith had fallen asleep an hour ago. He was resting his head on the window and had his arms crossed, legs sprawled open with his backpack resting in the middle. He seemed comfortable. “Going on an adventure I had organized for two doesn’t sound like fun.”

_“Is there anything I can do for you?”_

“Make sure Matt doesn’t get a hold of my tablet again. I don’t know what he did last time but it took me forever to access my files in my hard drive.”

_“Haha, you got it! Call me whenever you arrive at your hotel. I love you.”_

“Love you too. Bye mom.”

_“Stay safe!”_

“Will do.”

_Click._

The moment Pidge heard the dial-tone, the internal panic she had been experiencing before the phone call came back tenfold. She exhaled a shuddering breath and forced herself to sit up properly to conceal her nerves.

Damn. She had hoped listening to the soothing sound of her mother’s voice would calm her down. Right now, it made her realize how tense she really was.

Pidge swallowed and clutched the steering wheel like it was her lifeline, bouncing her leg apprehensively as she stared straight ahead at the empty road. The last vehicle she’d seen was a motorcycle, which had been two miles back. There was barely anyone taking this route at this time of night, which she was grateful for.

She took a sneak peek at Keith again, only to immediately tear her attention away. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, as if she had witnessed something she shouldn’t have seen. She raised a hand and pressed it against her face, groaning into her palm.

What the fuck had she been thinking bringing Keith with her?

Pidge shrunk back in her seat and replayed the earlier events in her head for the umpteenth time. How did she manage to throw herself in this bizarre situation again?

Two days ago she had been happily daydreaming about bringing her boyfriend with her on this trip. She couldn’t wait to see wonderful new sights and go to places she’d been dying to visit and make amazing, memorable adventures.

Now, there was another boy napping in her car who wasn’t Lance or Hunk, and most definitely _not_ her boyfriend.

This was dangerous. Not because the boy happened to be Keith, but because in a strange way Pidge is _stoked_ that it _is_ Keith. She had always been drawn to him in a curious sense—wondering why he seemed so distant from others, yet sounded like an awesome person whenever her brother’s friend—Shiro—talked about Keith. The times where Lance had ranted about Keith, she found herself becoming fascinated instead of bitter like he expected her to be. The unspoken rule of thumb between best friends was to share the same distaste in people, right? She knew Lance thought so and felt minor shame that she didn’t.

The worst part about this spontaneous decision is that everybody still believed she was currently traveling alone to Florida. Nobody has a clue about Keith Kogane hitchhiking a ride with her. What would they say if they knew?

Dominique wouldn’t be happy for obvious reasons. Though after behaving like a dick, Pidge had a half of mind to tell him out of spite.

Forget telling her parents and Matt. They had a hard time accepting Dominique in the first place. She wasn’t going to give her folks a heart attack if she revealed Keith was with her instead of him.

Hunk probably would raise an eyebrow and be confused, but after listening to the events leading up to it he would understand. He might be the only one who would be calm enough to hear the story and commend her kindness.

And Lance... well if she were to tell Hunk, she’d feel obligated to tell Lance. Being the savagely impulsive and theatrical person he was, there’s no doubt he would be baffled and pretty upset she didn’t leave Keith in the dust when she had the chance to. “Could’ve eliminated my competition,” he would say, and then would later complain about how boring it would be to have no one to compete against. Bless Hunk for showing up into their lives when he did and being the only one patient enough to calm Lance down.

Speaking of calming Lance down, Pidge should probably give him a quick phone call. The boy has left countless texts and voicemails since she left the beach. She meant to return them, but completely forgot since she had been wrapped up in her own thoughts and had attempted to make small talk with Keith.

Attempted and miserably failed.

“So, uhm—” she had started to say.

“We don’t have to talk to each other,” Keith had said. “Just drive.”

And then he fell asleep some time after that.

Normally when Pidge got rudely interrupted mid-sentence by someone, she’d pop off on them without hesitation. At the time, she was still processing the abrupt changes of this trip that she couldn’t even react the way she naturally would. Everything was happening so fast and her mind was having trouble keeping up with all the events.

She dropped her head back and whined. Now what the hell is going to be her next brilliant move?

“Hey, are you getting tired?”

“Ah!” Pidge cried out and jerked the steering wheel to the side.

_Screeech!_

_BAM._

“Son of a bitch!” Keith hissed and clutched his painfully throbbing head. He glared at dashboard he collided against and then at Pidge. “What the hell?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" Pidge apologized. "You scared me..."

“So you tried to give me a concussion?!”

Pidge winced at his angry tone and pulled the car up on the side of the road. She turned off the ignition and turned to face him. “Let me see—”

“Get back on the road.”

“Not until I take a look at your head.”

“I’ve experienced worse.”

“Awesome. Now move your hand.”

“I’m fine.”

“Please don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“Difficult, huh?” Keith sighed heavily and grabbed his backpack. “I knew it. I’m out.”

“No, wait. That’s not what I meant!” Pidge tried to clarify. “Keith—”

“Save it.”

Pidge got out the vehicle the same time Keith did and darted around the car until she blocked his path. He tried to move pass her and she seized his wrist, gripping it tight.

“If I didn’t let you go in broad daylight, what makes you think I’m going to let you go now when it’s dark?”

“First you wrecked my bike, then you almost hit me with the crowbar, and now _this.”_ He pointed at his bruised forehead. “I honestly believe I’m better off going to Florida on my own.”

She frowned. “Stop being dramatic and let me help you. I have an ice pack in my trunk.”

When Keith pouted and didn’t budge after a minute, Pidge got impatient and dragged him to the back of the car. He grunted and scowled at her.

“You manhandle everybody like this?”

“Only the ones who are too stubborn to listen.”

“Charming.”

She ignored the sarcastic remark and beeped the trunk open. She tried her best not to look at the crushed bicycle as she searched for the first aide kit. Keith remained silent and she was grateful for that. She needed him to not say anything for her own sanity.

“Here.” She rummaged through the containers and took out an ice pack. “Put this on and get back in the car. Don’t fall asleep until we get you checked out at an urgent clinic or something.”

“I only banged my head on the dashboard. I didn’t split anything open.”

“You could have internal bleeding.”

 _“I’m fine,”_ Keith assured through his teeth. “Are you always this paranoid?”

“I’m _concerned,”_ Pidge corrected and shoved the ice pack into his hand.

“You have a weird way of showing it.”

Alright, she’s had enough of this back talk.

“What’s your deal?” Pidge snapped and closed the trunk.

He cocked his head to the side in disbelief. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“I understand I ran over your only source of transportation, but can you _at least_ appreciate what I’m trying to do here?”

“You think just because you’re giving me a lift I’m going to be all sunshine and rainbows with you? Newsflash— _not happening.”_

“I’m willing to skip all the places I wanted to visit so that _we_ can get to Florida faster!”

“Yeah, I heard that bit while you were talking to your mom.”

Pidge’s eyes flew wide open. Oh no. Did that mean he knew about her drama?

“If you hadn’t had that fight with your boyfriend, would you still have ran over my bike? Or was he the reason you did?”

Alright. So he did. How embarrassing.

“Why would you think that?” Pidge spat out of defense.

“Because I heard some guy calling out your name through your car’s Bluetooth when I came out of the bank. He kept saying you were being unreasonable and begged you to stop by his place to _‘work things out’_ or something.”

Pidge’s jaw automatically unhinged and her nostrils flared. A fierce spark of rage resonated through her body. Everything from the past twenty-four hours came rushing back to her and it took everything in her power not to smash her own head on the concrete.

She pivoted sharply and made her way to the driver’s side, getting in the car wordlessly and slamming the door shut.

Keith blinked once, twice, and scratched his head. He just saw Pidge go through several levels of anger in a matter of seconds. What the hell had happened? Shouldn't _he_ be the one stomping away?

“Can you please get inside the car?” Pidge called out tiredly. “I’ve got to go to the gas station to fill up my tank. I’m under halfway.”

He started to move and hesitated when he noticed something odd through his peripheral vision. He turned his head to look behind him. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Keith, did you hear me?”

He stepped forward to take a closer look. He pressed his mouth in a tight line when he realized what it was.

“Keith?”

It took him a few seconds to answer. “I’m coming.”

After several more moments of glaring into the distance, he quickly got in the car. Pidge noticed his tensed movements and raised an eyebrow.

“Something wrong?”

He clicked on the seatbelt and leaned back, focusing on the side view mirror. He shifted to a straighter position and rested an elbow on the window sill, placing the ice pack on his head.

“No. We’re good.”

Pidge shrugged and drove back on the road. She wasn’t in the mood to start arguing with him again.

Unbeknownst to her, an engine a couple miles behind roared to life and began to follow them.  
  


* * *

  
“Do you want anything in the store? A snack or a drink?”

“No thanks.”

Pidge glanced up and was surprised to see Keith quite rigid. His eyes were boring hotly on a random point ahead—eyebrows curled downward in concentration, a hand gripping the edges of the seat while the other continued to press the ice pack on his forehead, and shoulders squared all the way back as if he was ready to jump in action. She could see the clear tight lines of his muscles flexing underneath his black shirt and had to look away before her eyes traveled anywhere else.

“Alright. I’ll be in for a minute.” She paused. “Maybe more if they have decent coffee.”

“I’m coming with you.”

She frowned at his crude tone. “What’s your deal all of a sudden? Did I run over your cat this time?”

“We’re being followed,” he answered, never taking his eyes off the side view mirror.

The words slowly digested into Pidge’s brain one by one. Once she comprehended them, she instantly looked behind them and reached for the crowbar on the dashboard. All she saw was darkness and an empty lot.

“I-I don’t see anything.”

Upon her stuttering, Keith took a sneak peek at her. “You okay?”

“Peachy. I love being followed by potential robbers.”

“We don’t know if that’s who they are.”

“You’re right. They could be serial killers.”

He rolled his eyes and huffed. “If I knew this would be your reaction I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“And let me go to the store without telling me?!”

“I would have gone with you!”

“Not with my crowbar! We’d be defenseless!”

“I have a knife in my pocket.”

“Oh great. You came in here with a deadly weapon outside my knowledge. Next thing you’re going to tell me about is that gun in your backpack.”

“Huh? You saw that?”

 _“What?!”_ Pidge screamed and unintentionally pointed the crowbar at Keith.

“Hey!” He backed up against the passenger door as far as he could, using his backpack as a shield. “What did I tell you before about watching where point that thing?!”

“You have a gun?Here? _Right now?”_

“I’m not going to use it.”

“Damn right you’re not!”

“It’s for emergencies only,” Keith explained and put his hands up. “I’ll only use it for protection. I promise.”

Pidge lowered the crowbar. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you had a gun.”

“Not exactly the first thing I tell a girl when I get inside her car. It doesn’t make a great conversation starter.”

“You’ve barely spoken to me this entire time. We haven’t talked at all!”

“What are we doing now then?”

“I’m panicking, yelling! And you’re just being... _you.”_

He rolled his eyes. “You make no sense. Aren’t you supposed to be the genius at our school?”

“It too makes sense and I _am_ a genius!” Pidge flailed her arms, taking no regards of where the crowbar was swinging. Keith scarcely dodged a hit to the face and fumbled with the door lock.

“Okay, that’s it. You almost broke my nose. I’m out.”

“No!” She threw herself on him, peered above his head, and nervously whispered, “what if the people who are following us are still there?” She tightened her hold on him and gasped. “I bet they’re watching us!"

“You’re sweating and your armpit stinks!” Keith muffled against her arm and pushed her away.

“I’m sorry! When I get nervous I tend to sweat a lot and my palms get really clammy and I start to act all weird—"

“You don’t say,” he deadpanned.

She grabbed his shoulders and shook him vigorously. “Do something!”

“Let me go!” He reached for her hands and attempted to pry them off.

“No, cause’ you’re gonna leave me!”

“Can you at least get off of me?”

“I’m not even on you!”

“Yes you are!”

_Knock, knock._

“GAH!!” They both screamed together and instinctively latched onto each other.

“Hey, you can’t be doing that out here.” The young person outside Keith’s window gestured between them. They were wearing a red vest and an employee name tag. “This is a public space and no one needs to see you two getting it on—especially with some kids inside asking their parents why this car keeps bouncing up and down.”

It was then Pidge became aware of her arms around Keith’s head and legs around his waist and that she _indeed was_ sitting on his lap. Even more so was she conscious about his strong hands resting on her hips and his legs propped up to shield her.

How... undeniably sweet. Had he been preparing to protect her?

Oh damn. The possibility did nothing to stop her heart from beating out of place.

“G-Got it.” Keith nodded at the employee and moved his hands to pry Pidge’s legs off.

“Don’t touch me!” She cried out, smacked his face out of defense, and scrambled back to the driver’s side.

When Pidge settled in her seat, she realized what she had done and gasped.

“Keith, I’m so—”

“Sorry? Yeah, I think you’ve apologized for _a lot_ today.”

She cringed at the sight of him nursing the visible red mark on his face.

“Don’t you need to go get gas?” He snapped.

She twiddled her thumbs and tentatively asked, “can... can you come with me?”

Keith groaned and rolled his head back. Seriously, what the hell was up with this chick?  


* * *

  
The clock above her radio read it was midnight, which was the time Pidge should’ve arrived at her first destination. At this rate she was going, she’ll be lucky to even get to the hotel by morning.

Whoever was following them apparently decided to go elsewhere, not that she was complaining. She’s had enough pandemonium for one day and it was finally taking a toll on her.

Damn, did she wanted to sleep so bad. She could feel her face drying up from the recycled air in the car and the heavy bags under her eyes were so deep, they felt heavy on her cheeks. The coffee she had bought from the gas station tasted like shit and had no kick to it. She knew she should’ve stopped at a Starbucks before leaving the San Diego city route. Oh how was she craving for a breakfast blend drink with steamed almond milk on top and three raw sugars. Fuck.

“Stop the car.”

It took a moment for Pidge to notice Keith had spoken. “Eh?”

“You’re falling asleep.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re driving in the middle of two lanes.”

She did not react well to that statement and lurched the car on one side. Once Keith steadied himself in place, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, drumming impatiently on his thigh.

“Stop the car,” he repeated. _“Now.”_

This time, Pidge obeyed without protest and pulled them on the side of the road. She slumped back in her seat and rubbed her eyes, smoothing over the creases on her skin.

“I just need a minute,” she muttered.

“I can take over while you sleep. I don’t mind driving for a bit.”

“You don’t know where we’re going.”

“Then put the address in the GPS.”

“I promised I was going to take you to Florida. I’m not going to let you handle my responsibility.”

Keith glowered. “I’m not a child and you’re not a machine. Let me drive.”

“No.”

He growled lowly in the back of his throat and swiftly got out the car. Pidge moaned in annoyance and wondered how many times he was going to try and leave whenever they got into a disagreement until her door swung open. Before she had a chance to react, Keith unbuckled her seatbelt and picked her up effortlessly.

“Hey!” She was thrown over his shoulders like sack of potatoes. “Oh,  _look_ who’s manhandling someone now.”

“You’re being unnecessarily stubborn and becoming a giant pain in my ass,” Keith clipped and walked to the other side of the car.

“And you’re being _you,”_ she hissed and fisted her knuckles, glaring at the back of his head. “Lance was right about you being a prick.”

Her mind suddenly shrieked in realization. She still hadn’t called Lance yet!

“Oh yeah, cause’ that loudmouth knows me _so_ well.”

Pidge tuned out Keith and snatched her phone resting in the cup holder as soon as she was seated. She cursed out loud when she saw that it was dead and immediately connected it to the charger. The longer she delayed the phone call, the more she dreaded listening to Lance’s hysterics. She can already hear his frenzied voice inside her head.

“You look like you’re about to erupt and not in a good way,” Keith commented.

“Shut up and drive.”

He felt a blood vessel tick in his bruised forehead and turned on the engine. “You’re a delight to be around.” He got back on the road. “I can’t understand why your boyfriend isn't here with you.”

Pidge saw red.

“For your information, _I_ uninvited Dominique. _I_ was the one who decided to go on this road trip without him.”

“You were originally supposed to be here with your boyfriend? The one who's been telling everybody about your sexual escapade to his beach house over the weekend?”

“You heard about that?”

“Who hasn’t? I heard the guy talking about it from across the dining hall.” Keith snorted. “What a keeper.”

She glared hard at him. “He is. Seriously, he’s great. He may not be prince charming, but he’s good to me.”

“Yeah, so good he’s lying to everybody about you to upscale his reputation.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. How do you know he’s not telling the truth?”

“Because I watched Lance beat his ass in front of everyone after he told his story.” He turned his head briefly to give her a knowing look. “Kinda a dead giveaway when something isn’t true. And if it is, what a dick for revealing your personal business and taking no regards to how you would feel afterward.”

“I made myself crystal clear this morning right before I ran over your bike. He understands now.”

“Oh yeah? Did he apologize and promise to make it up to you? I’m going to assume that’s a definite no since it’s _me_ sitting in this car with you and _not_ him.”

Pidge averted her eyes and whipped her head to stare at the dark road beside her. She raised a clenched fist over her mouth and started biting her nails. She refused to look at Keith, especially when the corner of her eyes were brimming with enraged tears.

As much as she hated to admit it, Keith did have an excellent point. Why _hasn’t_ Dominique apologized? Or at least admitted what he did was stupid? Couldn’t he see how much it made her upset? Did he sincerely believed he wasn’t in the wrong? What the hell has gotten into him lately?

Where was the pleasant, earnest, thoughtful jock she had fell for? The one who shyly asked her out at a cafe one night when she had been studying for finals? The one who loved showering her with affection no matter who was watching?

Where was _that_ Dominique?

“Somebody is calling you.”

Pidge didn’t want to acknowledge Keith’s presence, but she remembered whom she needed to speak to and perked up in her seat. She grabbed her phone and was relieved to see Lance’s name on the screen.

She wiped away the moisture in her eyes and picked up. “Hey Lance.”

_“KATERINA HOLT! ARE YOU ALIVE?!”_

One would think after receiving several scares for the day, Pidge and Keith would become immune to them and be unaffected. Leave it up to Lance’s voice somehow getting on the car’s Bluetooth and blasting his words through the speakers to make them both elicit a surprised cry.

“Fuck!” Pidge exclaimed. She had accidentally threw her phone up and it landed somewhere in the backseat. Well, at least it didn’t hit Keith. She might’ve laughed it if did to be honest.

_“KATERINA!”_

“Stop! Yelling!” She reached over to lower the volume on the radio. She’ll look for her cell phone after the call. “I think you made my heart fall out of my ass.”

 _“What about me?”_ Lance countered. _“I’ve been waiting and trying to get a hold of you for hours! What the hell? Didn’t you get my texts? I haven’t gone to sleep yet because I’ve been worried!”_

“Jeez, can that thing go lower?” Keith grumbled and rubbed his head. “He's _still_ loud somehow.”

“He’s fine!” Pidge seethed. Fuck, does he always complain about everything? “I’m sorry Lance. I meant to call you earlier but I got hung up on... stuff. You wouldn’t believe the day I had—”

_“Katie.”_

She paused mid sentence and blinked at the abrupt change in Lance’s tone. “Yes?”

 _“Either my ears are deceiving me or you suddenly developed a freakishly awesome talent at mimicking voices, because I_ know _that can’t be Keith I just heard.”_

Pidge squeezed her eyelids shut and covered her face. Fucking... _dammit._

“Lance, I can explain—”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Keith bitterly interrupted.

Shit.

_“It means I’m really confused about why a jerk-face like you is even doing there in the first place!”_

“Heh. Wouldn’t you like to know—”

“Oh my—Keith, you are more than welcome to shut up now,” Pidge begged. “Really, you are.”

“I thought you wanted me to talk more. It’s what you kept whining about in the beginning.”

Her eyes flew wide open in alarm. 

_“One of you need to start explaining how this happened now before I come out of this phone and start swinging.”_

“Lance—”

“And who exactly are you going to swing at?” Keith tested.

“Guys—” Pidge tried again.

_“Take a wild guess, mullet.”_

She huffed. “Would you both stop—”

“I want you to say it, loudmouth.”

“Am I speaking English?” Pidge asked no one in particular and tapped her mouth with a dumbfounded expression. “Has my voice box stopped functioning? Or am I talking to my own ass?”

“What did you just call me?” Keith snapped at her.

“Oh, so you only listen when you’re being insulted? Interesting.”

_“Yeah! Drag him down, Pidge!”_

Keith released a frustrated noise and jammed a button on the radio screen, ending the call.

“Hey!” Pidge glared. “I wasn’t done talking to him!”

“I was.”

“What the hell is your problem?”

“Aside from the obvious? Absolutely nothing.”

The arrogant tone made her blood boil. She opened her mouth to retort back until an incoming call started coming through.

She had expected to see Lance’s name appear on the car’s touchscreen. Imagine her surprise when she saw Dominique’s instead.

Keith let out an amused sound. “Not gonna get that?”

After three long rings, Pidge shook her head and shifted her body until her back was facing him. She folded her arms underneath her head and curled up into a small ball. She wasn't in the mood for this.

“Turn on the radio. I like falling asleep with the music playing in the background.”

She didn’t bother to ask why it had taken Keith a while to oblige her request, but if she did, he might’ve told her it was because he was glaring at Dominique’s name with great displeasure.

Personally, Keith hated the guy. For the same reason Lance and Hunk do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -plays shut up and drive by rihanna even though it's not gonna be on the playlist-


	3. 21 Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Keith play 21 questions. They both find out who was following them last night.

Pidge didn’t get a chance to fall into a deep sleep before the annoying roadway lights disrupted her out of a not-so-peaceful slumber. The constant flashes bothered her eyelids and aggravated her enough to wake up. She grunted and moved a hand over her face, blinking several times to clear her vision. She cursed when she realized she still had her glasses on and knew she was going to have small indentations on her nose.

 _‘Where’s my phone?’_ she thought wearily as she turned around and squinted at the clock on the dashboard, wiping any potential drool off her chin. It was a little past two in the morning. She groaned and decided to search for her phone in the backseat. It didn’t take long for her to find it slotted between some textbooks.

Keith didn’t spare her a single glance the entire time. He seemed to be entirely focused on the dark, empty road. Not a hint of fatigue was shown on his face and Pidge wondered if he's used to staying up late.

She settled on playing a mindless game on her phone to pass the time and listening to some old tunes on the radio. According to the GPS, her and Keith were about 4 hours away from reaching their destination. She can shower, change into some fresh clothes, and sleep comfortably when they get there. She just had to keep herself busy. She could do this.

Half an hour later and—

“I’m bored as fuck."

“Then look at your phone,” Keith suggested without missing a beat.

“No.” Pidge stretched out her arms until her shoulder blades cracked. “I want to play a game.”

“Then play a game on your phone.”

“I already did that. It got boring.”

“Then go to sleep.”

“I tried. It’s uncomfortable.”

“Pick your nose. Stick your head out the window. Do something. I don’t care.”

“Let’s play 21 questions.”

_“No.”_

She whined and pouted. “You’re so boring!”

“Life’s tough like that.”

Pidge scowled, furrowed her brows, and crossed her arms dramatically. Well if he's going to be like that, then...

“Hi, my name is Keith," she started in a deep, masculine voice. "I’m crazy enough to ride a bike from California to Florida and I’m so emo that I don’t like to share stuff about myself to others because I’m apathetic as hell and I don’t need no friends. It’s me, myself, and I until the end. Who cares about everybody else.”

The icy glare Keith gave her could have frozen an entire city nation.

“That’s _not_ who I am and I _don’t_ sound like that!”

“Pbft. In my head you do.”

“How much more narrow-minded can you be?”

“I’m not narrow-minded. I’m a scientist. I compose my hypothesis based on observations, knowledge, and facts.”

“You need better prescription for your glasses, find some new reliable sources, and double check your so-called facts _before_ making the wrong assumptions.”

“You’re only upset I was spot on about you.”

Keith’s forehead ticked irritably. “Oh, like you’re any better?”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Hi, my name is Katie,” he mocked in a flat tone. “And I need a new boyfriend.”

Pidge didn’t know what pissed her off more—him being an plain dick or him bringing up Dominique to make fun of her. Where did he get the fucking nerve to insult her like this?

She could understand why he did it though; the bastard is smart after all. He figured it would be enough to make her shut up and be silent for the rest of the ride.

Well he thought _wrong._

“Mullet,” she spat.

The way his eyes flew wide open in shock was enough to make Pidge giggle cynically. Mirth was shining on her face as the nickname Lance had given Keith from the start made his blood boil. She could feel the waves of irritation rolling off of him.

“So we’re going to play this game, huh?” He tightened he grip on the steering wheel. “I got one for you—why are you so unbelievably immature?”

“I’m not. You’re just easy to rile up. One word and you’re already about to combust.”

“If you know what makes me tick why do you keep doing it?”

“Na-ah.” She waved her index finger side to side. “It’s my turn to ask the question.”

“We’re not really playing the game!”

“You started it.”

Keith released a frustrated noise.

“Are you ready for the question?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope, so here is the first one—why aerospace engineering?”

He blinked multiple times. That caught him off guard. “Excuse me?”

“Aerospace engineering,” she repeated. “Why did you choose it as your major?” When he didn’t answer and gave her a questioning look instead, she frowned. “What is it now?”

“I... didn't think you wouldn’t ask about something personal.”

“Talking about your major is a personal topic for you?”

He shrugged. “In a way. It’s not something anyone has ever asked me before, besides the department manager of science.”

“Not even Shiro?”

“He did, but at the time I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself since... stuff happened.” He paused. “I forgot our brothers are friends.”

“Yeah. I do too.” Which was a lie. Every time Keith was brought up during Matt's and Shiro's conversations, she always thought how easy it would be to learn about him through them. All she would have needed to do was ask a few questions and she’d receive all the answers to satiate her curious mind. She could tell Shiro loved Keith and is extremely proud of him for everything he’s accomplished so far. Shiro was always praising his little brother.

In the end, she had always talked herself against inquiring Matt and Shiro about Keith. She decided she didn’t want to be that creepy girl who went digging for information, or be like the rest of his cringe-worthy admirers at school. The mysterious bad boy vibe had the tendency to attract the most interesting crowd and she shuddered at the thought of being in the same category as them.

“Matt mentions you around the house sometimes.”

“Really?” Pidge couldn’t hide her eagerness if she tried. “What does he say?”

“Shouldn’t I answer the first question before you could ask another?” Keith teased.

“Then hurry up! That’s going to be my next question after yours.”

He playfully rolled his eyes and gave her an amused smirk. “Impatient much?”

_“Keith.”_

He chuckled. “Alright. Let’s see…”

There was a split moment where Pidge didn’t believe he would actually answer her. She anticipated his response to either be offensively sarcastic or for her to be rudely ignored. It couldn’t have been that simple to make him open up like that.

Right?

“It’s not the easiest thing to do;studying all these engineering manuals, passing all the exams, and generally learning about the galaxy we live in,” he explained. “There’s a level of difficulty to it that fascinates me for something not necessarily logical.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Eh? Please don’t tell me you mean aliens.”

“It’s not only aliens that catch my interest—but I am going to discover them one day; just you wait and see—it’s being able to fly in space.” He grinned and glanced out the window to look at the night sky. “It’s to travel through the galaxy and see the giant stars next to me. It’s to see the Earth become the size of a thumbnail from where I am and be surrounded by undiscovered planets. Life will be different from way up there. Zero gravity, spacewalks, explorations—what could be more adventurous than that?”

Pidge’s mind naturally tried to conjure up scenarios that could rival everything Keith just described, but it was like measuring the impact of a freight train to a nudge on the shoulder. The different was vast and endless; unworthy of a comparison.

Damn. Keith’s idea of an adventure sure as hell beat Pidge’s idea of having one on the road. It doesn’t even come close.

“What’s the face for?” He asked. “Count that as my next question if you want.”

“I’m making a face?” She blinked. “What face?”

“You were making a face like I crushed your dream or something.”

“Oh, that one.” She sank back in her seat and sighed. “It’s not you. I’m just being reminded of how this trip isn't what I wanted it to be.”

He scoffed. “You said it’s not me and then proceeded to tell me it is.”

“Dude, don’t even start. You know what I mean.” She rolled up a tiny lint on her seat and threw it at Keith. He dodged it. “My turn. What does Matt say about me?”

“Do you want the good or bad stuff?”

“He says bad things about me?” She gasped. “Like _what?”_

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“That’s why I’m asking!”

“Answer mine first.”

“That’s not how this game works!”

“And you say _I’m_ easy to rile up?” He smirked. “Do you hear yourself?”

“I hate you.”

“Great. Do we still got to play?”

“Yes, and tell me bad things first so I can kick Matt’s ass.”

He rolled his eyes. “I was joking. Matt doesn’t ever say anything bad. If anything, he praises the hell out of you. He’s always saying how amazing your creative tech skills are and couldn’t wait to see you invent something one day that can change the world.”

A faint scarlet color blossomed on Pidge’s cheeks. “Oh…” She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. “I didn’t know he spoke so highly of me.”

“He holds you up above everyone else. He really loves you.”

Now if Dominque cared half as much as Matt did, he’d be sitting where Keith currently is.

She absentmindedly unlocked her phone screen and tapped on the message icon, reading the last message she sent to him.  
  
\---

 ** _Pidge (2:12 AM)_**  
_Please call me. Maybe we can work something out…_  
  
\---

It’s a quarter past three. What’s taking him so long to respond back? Did he fall asleep? He usually doesn’t until he sends her a goodnight text whether they were fighting or not, so it was strange he didn’t tonight. Should she send another message or wait until morning?

“Do you believe in aliens?” Keith suddenly asked.

Pidge snorted and put the phone down. “Of course you’d ask me that.”

“Well do you?”

“Fuck yeah. The idiots that believes we’re the only living organisms in the entire universe has got themselves twisted.”

He nodded in approval at her answer. “Wow. I’m impressed. Didn’t take you as the type to believe in the unknown.”

“Then what do you take me for? That’s my question by the way.”

“Hmmm. Based on my observations, knowledge, and facts…” He rubbed his chin in thought. “You’re going to have to ask me at a later time for me to give you a proper response.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve acquired new information about you being on this mini field trip.”

She shrugged. “Fair enough. Let me ask you this then—what did you think of me before?”

“Not much honestly. You’re Matt’s sister. You’re a little genius at our school who’s won a lot of robotic competitions. You seem like an intensely private person despite being friends with a loudmouth like Lance. You’re Dominique’s girlfriend, so there’s that.”

That name is turning into a haunted curse to Pidge’s ear.

“Okay,” she said quickly. “Your turn.”

Keith raised an eyebrow at her abrupt switch in tone. He didn’t comment.

“So... what’s your major? I don’t think I’ve heard Matt mention it.”

“I have two; database engineering and software development.”

“You have _two?”_ He asked in disbelief. “The university lets you do that?”

“I major in engineering and minor in software. No big deal.”

“Tch, okay. Aren’t you like, 14?”

“20!” Pidge glared. “I don’t look _that_ young.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of people don’t believe me when I say I’m 22.”

“You are?” She scrutinized him. “Dude, you look 18.”

“My point exactly. I still have to show my ID when I go out drinking.”

“You go out and _socialize?”_

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m counting that as your question.”

“Fine.” She was excited for this one anyway.

“I only go out when my friend Allura is in town. She’s the one who likes to party; not much though. She just likes to have a good time and is always dragging Shiro and I out the house.”

“I can’t believe someone can actually make you go out to begin with.”

“Told you to double check your facts before making assumptions. My turn—where _do_ you get your information from about me? Matt doesn’t seem like the type to make stuff up.”

“Lance.”

Keith threw his head back like a dead weight. “Go figure…”

Pidge snickered. “So what type of music do you listen to?”

“I grew up listening to a lot of Shiro’s and Allura’s stuff—which mainly consisted of R&B and jazz—and it kinda always stuck on me so I catch myself listening to those from time to time. But I’ve always favored rock above everything.”

“Oh, wow. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

“You mocked me for being emo ten minutes ago and didn’t think I’d listen to rock?”

“Not that part.” She wasn’t surprised at all. “I meant the R&B and jazz bit.”

“How so? My question by the way.”

“R&B tends to affect people’s moods on a higher empathic level. Jazz has an honesty you can’t find with other music.”

“Suddenly you’re a music expert?”

“My mom used to be a jazz artist before marrying my dad. I may know a thing or two,” Pidge explained. “What about your parents? What do you they do?”

“I guess Matt really doesn’t tell you much about me...”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’m adopted.”

If Pidge wasn’t planning on killing her brother before, she was definitely scheming a plan now to do so.

“My bad,” she apologized gently. “I—”

“It’s not a big deal. I was too young to remember the details. All I know is that Shiro’s parents took me in and I’ve been living with the family ever since. There’s really not much to tell.”

“Don’t you see Shiro’s parents as your own?”

“I do and I don’t. It’s a little complicated to explain.” Keith doesn’t know why he was revealing this much information about him to Pidge. It needed to stop before it crossed a territory he wanted to stay hidden. “That was two questions you asked me.”

Pidge reclined the chair back a little bit and readjusted her lower body to find a new comfortable spot. “Fire away then.”

“How about you—what music do you like?”

“It depends on my mood. I can go from madtown to heavy metal, but if I had to choose a favorite... well it really all comes down to the vocals. I like clarity. I like listening to the words without straining my ears. I think my mother had something to do with it.”

“Do you sing?”

“Doesn’t everyone at some point?”

“I meant as a hobby.”

“I used to be in the choir club in high school, but it only lasted a year. It bored me to death.”

“You lose interest fast.”

“What can I say? I’m hard to please.”

“You’re also a lot of work to keep entertained.” Keith laid his arm on the window’s ledge and rested his chin on his palm. “Do we really need to go through these questions? We’re not even halfway there and I don’t know what else to ask you.”

“Just a few more. Let’s make it to 10 tonight and leave the rest for tomorrow or something.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“I prefer the word persistent.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t bring a negative connotation with it like _‘stubborn’_ does.”

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. He can’t believe this girl.

“There isn’t _anything_ you want to know about me?” Pidge asked. He thought she sounded disappointed, and then excused it as him being tired and imagining things. “Nothing you’re even curious about?”

“I don’t like to pry,” he admitted.

“This game gives you the freedom to pry all you want. That’s the beauty of it.”

“Well then hurry up and give me a question! It’s your turn now.”

“Grumpy,” she muttered and received a scowl. “Do you have a significant other or somebody you’re currently talking to on the down low?”

“No.”

“Have you ever?”

Silence.

Pidge turned her head to look at Keith curiously and felt a large stone fall into the pit of her stomach. There was a far-away gaze stamped in his eyes and his hardened jaw line became slack. His face was entirely blank; void of emotion. Even his shoulders had dropped completely.

 _“Keith reminds me of a lone wolf,”_ Lance had told her one time. _“I’ve never seen him interact with anyone else on campus. From what I’ve heard, has a little bit of a temperament. I get the vibe he isn't trustworthy of others.”_

Pidge didn’t know why that specific memory came to the forefont of her mind right now. She bit her bottom lip, feeling the uncomfortable tension in the air as her mind frantically searched for something to say. The one fucking time she needed to babble her mouth away of course would be the one time where all speech was lodged in the back of her throat. _Great._

“I did.”

Pidge jolted her head up upon hearing Keith's voice and and stared wide eyed at him. When she didn’t respond to him for awhile, he took a peek at her and cocked an eyebrow.

“What?”

Pidge’s face—which had displayed her inner panic mode—shifted to being utterly stunned. Every trace of dullness in his eyes have completely vanished.

She must have imagined the whole thing.

“Nothing,” she said. “We can stop here for now. I’m getting sleepy again.” Her retinas were burning from the lack of moisture and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to close them for a bit. “But if you need me to take over I can—”

“I got this,” Keith assured. “You get some shut eye. I’ll wake you up when we get to the hotel. It shouldn’t be too long. A couple hours at most.”

“Keith…”

“Rest.” He paused, then added, “please.”

Silence came back around and this time, Pidge eased back into her seat and rolled her head to the side. She brought her knees up to hug them and rested her forehead on the window glass, allowing herself to relax.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the ride.  


* * *

  
“Katie... Katie, wake up. We’re here.”

Pidge hummed and scrunched her brows together.

“You can sleep more when we get inside. Come on.”

A faint whine escaped her mouth as she curled into a tighter fetal position.

_“Katie.”_

She uttered some incoherent words Keith couldn’t decipher. He sighed, undid his seatbelt, and got out the car to go to the passenger side.

“Let’s go—whoa!”

As soon as Keith opened the door, he swiftly caught Pidge right on time before she fell to the ground. He carefully scooped her up bridal style and closed the door with his foot. If he had an extra hand to facepalm himself with he would’ve because _holy shit—_ this chick was a heavy ass sleeper.

He carried her all the way to the entrance of the hotel and immediately went towards the front desk. He ignored all the strange glances thrown his way and readjusted Pidge in his arms to accommodate her better.

The lady behind the counter giggled. “Long trip?”

“Something like that,” he grumbled.

“What’s the name for the room?”

“Katerina Holt.”

She typed the name on the computer and nodded when it came up. “And I’m assuming you’re Dominique Morozov?”

His eyes darkened. “Sure.”

“I need to see Katerina’s ID and the credit card she used to book the room.” She smiled sympathetically at him. “Does she currently have it on her?”

Crap, now he _really_ had to wake Pidge up.

“Hey,” he called urgently into her ear. “Wake up. She needs your credit card. Do you have your wallet on you?”

“...”

Keith huffed irritably and walked over to the lobby’s couch, doing the one thing he knew was going to spring her awake.

He dropped her.

Pidge let out a startled cry as her eyes popped open. She jerked her body like a flailing fish until she fell off the couch and landed on the carpeted floor. She hissed in pain and sat up straight, rubbing her bruised arm and scanned her surroundings until she noticed Keith standing in front of her.

It took her less than three seconds to piece together what happened.

“Did you—Did you just _dropped_ me?!”

“I had to do something to wake you up,” he replied calmly and crossed his arms.

“There are _other_ ways to do that!”

“I tried, but you kept falling back to sleep.”

“So you decided to _drop_ me?”

“Exactly.”

She growled dangerously and got on her feet. “I’m going to—wait.” She darted her eyes around the unfamiliar environment. “Where are we?”

“At the hotel, genius.” Keith thumbed over his shoulder. “And the receptionist needs your ID and credit card.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks burned when she realized the scene she had caused. Everybody was staring at them. “Right.”

Keith noticed how all the attention made her uneasy and glared at each person, including a woman carrying a child.

“Don’t you guys have something better to do?” He spat.

Pidge was impressed at how instantly all their gazes teared away and went on about their business. Keith must’ve appeared a lot scarier to others than she thought.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm and led the way. “We both need some sleep before we get back on the road.”

We. Keith said _we._

For some reason, that made Pidge’s heart flutter.  


* * *

  
The moment Keith opened the door to their room, Pidge happily skipped inside and launched her body on the bed. She exhaled contently at the sensation of finally laying on a comfortable surface and rolled onto her stomach to embrace a pillow. She snuggled her flushed cheek against it and giggled.

“I'd imagine you have to take that pillow out to dinner first before you start molesting it.” Keith walked over to the other unoccupied bed in the room and sat on the edge.

“We’re in love,” she murmured. “So stop ruining our honeymoon.”

He chuckled and quizzically looked around. “If you were coming here with your boyfriend, why did you ask for two beds?”

“Because I wanted two beds.”

The bitter tone made Keith frown. “I thought…”

“Dominique and I are not having sex.” Pidge lifted herself on her elbows. “But I think you already knew that.”

“... not exactly,” he admitted and rested back on his gloved hands. “I never took you as the type to go out with someone like him and yet, you are. You two are so different from each other.”

He unknowingly triggered a spark of anger in her. She narrowed her pupils into slits and clenched her knuckles.

“Opposites attract you know.”

“Believe me I do,” Keith agreed and straightened up. He could sense an argument stirring up and was too stubborn to back down from it, even if it was none of his business. “And that only works if you notice parts of each other no one else does.”

“I see things in him,” she defended.

“You do. Dominique doesn’t.”

Pidge averted her eyes. “Yes he does. He cares.”

“Then remind me again who’s sitting in this room with you and who isn’t.”

“You literally came out of nowhere and I crushed your bike and now I’m taking responsibility for it.” She raised her head to give him a questioning look. “What do you have against Dominique anyway? You keep throwing these subtle jabs at him and as far as I know, you two never interacted and he's never mentioned anything about you.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Then what the hell are they?”

“Honestly, I have no problem telling you, but I know that if I did, it’ll make Lance and that Hunk guy look really bad and I don’t want to get caught in the middle of it.”

Pidge alarmingly sprung to her knees. _“What?”_

“Ask them first before I give you any details.” Keith grabbed his backpack off the floor. “I’m going to go shower.”

“I don’t think so!” She seized his arm and held him in place. “You can’t just tell me some half-ass information like that and expect me to drop it.”

“I’m not telling you to drop it. I’m telling you where to get it.” He snatched his arm back and successfully released her hold on him. “When you do that and still feel like you need more convincing, then I’ll tell you.”

He disappeared into the bathroom before she could say another word.

Pidge was about to march over and break the door off its hinges when she suddenly heard a series of vibrations on the wooden nightstand. Her phone clattered noisily on the table and she caught it right as it fell off the edge and turned it over.

\---  
  
**_Dominique (7:28 AM):_**  
_[6 photo attachments]_

 ** _Dominique (7:28 AM):_**  
_I hope you can explain this..._

\---  
  
She frowned and opened the message, downloading the image contents to her camera roll. She waited patiently for the green bar to reach one hundred percentage and tapped on the first thumbnail.

Her heart dropped.

“No..."

She zoomed in.

“Shit... shit shit shit!”

She reread Dominique’s message.

“No… no no no no—!”

Keith flung open the bathroom door and stepped out while putting his shirt back on. He hurriedly dashed over beside Pidge and looked around warily.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Did something happen?”

“... I know who was following us last night,” she whispered.

He whipped his head down at her. “Who?”

“Dominique’s roommate.”

“How do you know?”

Instead of answering, Pidge handed her phone over to Keith. He took it and studied the screen.

The first picture was taken at the private beach from yesterday. It showed Pidge’s car leaving the vicinity with a clear view of Keith sitting in the passenger side.

The second picture showed Pidge handing Keith an ice pack. The third picture displayed the two talking while she closed the trunk.

The fourth picture seemed like it was taken in a haste since it was blurry, but Keith could still see that it was him. He was glaring right at the camera suspiciously.

The fifth picture was the worst of them all. The camera had zoomed all the way in to capture the inside of Pidge’s car, where it showed Pidge climbing on top of Keith.

The last picture was of them walking inside the gas station with Keith’s hand resting on Pidge’s lower back.

 _‘Damn,’_ he thought. _‘These all look really fucking bad…’_ He glanced up at Pidge and winced at how appalled she looked. Was she even breathing?

“Katie?” He hovered a hand over her small form, unsure if contact was a good idea at this point. When she didn’t say anything, he tentatively squeezed her shoulder to get her attention. “Katie, you... you have to tell him everything.” It irked him to say these words, but he knew it was the right thing to do. “He deserves to know.”

Pidge hesitated to turn around, not wanting Keith to see her completely. She knew he was right. Dominique doesn’t know what’s going on and owed him an explanation.

“I’m going outside to call him,” she decided.

“No it’s okay. I’ll go.” Keith went back to the bathroom to retrieve his boots. “Good luck.”

Pidge was going to need a lot more than luck to get through this shitty storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to everybody who almost got the answer right c:


	4. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Keith tries to get on better terms with Pidge and she’s not having it. He also tells her the reason for not liking her boyfriend.

Even after the tenth call in a row, Dominique still didn’t pick up.

Pidge tightened her lips in frustration and brought the phone down to her lap, wondering if she should call him again. It was becoming frustrating listening to the continuous rings only for them to end at the thirty second mark. She didn’t know if she could handle sitting through another one and repeat the moping cycle.

She didn’t get it. Dominique had been the one to ask her to explain herself and that’s exactly what she was trying to do. How the hell can she abide by his request if he kept rejecting her calls? Did he want her to suffer in guilt for awhile? Is that what he wanted? Whatever the case may be, she sincerely hoped he still wasn't analyzing those pictures his roommate took of her and Keith.

Well, she supposed she _could_ text Dominique everything that happened instead, but that would be impersonal and she didn’t want give him the option to ignore her more than he already has. Plus, she wanted to hear his voice. She needed to know if he was as upset as he made himself to be based on his last text messages.

She stared at his name on the screen for a few more seconds and determinedly pressed the redial button, holding onto the fraction of hope that he’ll pick up this time.

She ended up getting his voicemail.

Honestly all things aside, she isn’t surprised Dominique is acting like this. Truth be told if the roles had been reversed, she might have behaved similarly. Maybe with an extra dose of temperament because she is known to snap easily.

Now what?

Pidge flopped back on the bed and threw a tired arm over her face. She grinded her mouth together and let out an irritated noise in the back of her throat, feeling a new wave of exhaustion coming over her. She could feel all the oils from her pores accumulating around her nose and grunted in disgust.

Shower. She needed a shower. Hot water always calmed her nerves and she desperately needed it to scrub off all the grease and sweat from her body.

Thrusting herself off the bed, Pidge dragged her feet to the bathroom. As she pulled her hair out of the disheveled ponytail, she noticed a pair of black fingerless gloves resting on the edge of the sink.

_Keith._

“Crap,” Pidge muttered and dropped her arms to the side. She needed to find him and bring him back to the hotel room. He had originally wanted to shower first and if anybody deserved one right away, it should be him. He _had_ been the one driving most of the night to get them here. It was only fair.

As she stepped out to put her sneakers back on, she couldn’t but think how thoughtful and sweet it was for him to leave the room when she needed the privacy. It had been a pleasant surprise for a shitty morning and she was thankful for his courtesy.

She smiled softly to herself. Maybe there was a great guy beneath the tough and pompous exterior after all.

“Keith?” Pidge called out and exited the room, scanning around the hallway for the familiar mullet hairstyle. “I’m done. You can come back...” She paused when she noticed an unconscious figure sitting by her feet and had to do a double take.

It appeared Keith had fallen asleep outside their shared room. He had his back pressed against the wall with his legs crossed and arms folded across his chest. His head was rolled to the side and currently resting on his shoulder. Small puffs of breaths were being exhaled from his slightly parted mouth and blowing on the edges of his hair.

Despite napping in an awkward position, he looked... strangely peaceful. Especially with his bangs swept over his eyelids like dainty curtains. From this angle, it’s easy to see how precisely long his eyelashes were and observe the curved shadows of his sharp neckline.

Pidge shook her head to prevent any more inappropriate thoughts from surfacing and knelt down on her knees. She hummed and tilted her head, unsure of how to wake him up. She glanced around them to see if anyone was around and gently patted his forearm. He hardly stirred and she chuckled amusingly. She tried again with a little more force and—

In a blink of an eye, her world had flipped upside down. Memories of her horrendous middle school days came rushing back to her mind at lightning speed as a jagged pain shot down her back. She cried out and instinctively shielded her face from any possible blow; preparing herself for the worst.

“Shit! Katie?” Keith’s frantic voice reached her dulled ears. “Fuck, I’m sorry!” He let go of the ruthless grip he had on her shoulders and carefully elevated her upper half from the floor. “Are you hurt?”

“Of course. I live for the pain.” She hissed when his hand grazed over a specific area on her back and immediately shoved him away. “What the hell was that for?!”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated and winced remorsefully. “Old habits die hard.”

Old... habits?

“I... I don’t even want to know why you felt the need to learn to flip someone over while you’re sleeping,” she grumbled. “But it sounds like something a person in an orange jumpsuit would do.”

Keith’s eye twitched at the hinted accusation. “I’m not a criminal.”

“Are you sure?” Pidge challenged. “Casually carrying around a deadly weapon isn’t exactly normal.”

“Neither is having a crowbar lying around in a car,” Keith fired back. “What the hell are you doing out here anyway? Didn’t I leave you to talk to your boyfriend? It hasn’t even been ten minutes.”

“Dominique doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Why not?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because it looks like I ditched him to go galloping on the road with another guy.”

Keith frowned. “That’s... not far from the truth.”

Pidge facepalmed. Was he being serious? No, was he an idiot? Did she had to spell this out for him?

“I mean, you _are_ on the road with another guy.”

Oh for the love of everything that’s pure—

“I look like a cheater!” Pidge screeched and threw her hands arms up. “And I’m not!”

“I didn’t say you were.” Keith sighed and got on his feet. “Look, if you need me to talk to him—”

“Oh, _wow._ Okay. Sure. Let me just give the phone to the guy my boyfriend thinks I’m cheating on him with. That will _definitely_ fix this whole mess.”

“I’m only trying to help! What the hell do you want me to do?”

“How about you tell me why you hate Dominque so much?”

“I don’t hate him.” Keith’s frowned increased. “I just... _strongly_ dislike him.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, and your reason being what?”

“Look, I already told you. Go ask your friends about it.”

“Keith—”

“We’re not doing this out here.” Keith cut her off and offered his hand. “Let’s go back inside. Can you stand?”

Pidge ignored the aided gesture and hoisted herself up on her feet. She stood there, glaring daggers at him for a moment before wordlessly sidestepping around him. She went back into their room in an icy silence and slammed the door shut.

Keith sighed again and rubbed his face. Should it be this hard to befriend somebody like Pidge? Why must she be so difficult at random times? Wasn’t it her fault that they were in this unusual scenario to begin with? Wasn’t _she_ the one who crushed _his_ bike and _volunteered_ to take _him_ to Florida?

He shook his head. Whatever. None of that mattered now. What’s important at the moment is them getting along. They have to be on better terms if they want to make this trip as smooth as possible. If he needed to be the one to take the first step to make that happen, he will.

 _“Patience yields focus,”_ Shiro would always say.

Keith released a deep exhale and repeated the words in his head. He can do this.

With newfound resolve, he reached out to grab the door handle and twisted it. When nothing budged, he scowled and jiggled the knob around to ensure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. After several fruitless seconds of trying to open the door, he infuriatingly realized Pidge had purposely locked him out.

“Oh come on!” He growled and pounded the door. “Are you really going to do this to me?”

Silence.

“Dammit Katie! Open the door!”

He listened as she hummed and padded around the room.

_“Katie!”_

He heard her entering the bathroom.

“You can’t be serious…”

The dreadful sound of the showerhead turning on reached his ears.

Keith snarled. Alright, that’s it! Forget about being nice! Forget about trying to make this sudden arrangement work! If this is how she wanted things to be between them, he can definitely turn this friendly pastime into a warzone.

Screw the “patience yields focus” mantra. Challenge accepted. It’s on.  


* * *

  
Clothes. Pidge forgot to bring spare clothes. Loose clothes that will replace the constricting pressure her legs were still feeling from being in her skinny jeans for too long. Warm clothes that have the right amount of thickness and won’t make her sweat profusely while sleeping. Comfortable clothes that will feel like heaven on her squeaky clean and fresh skin. Clothes that were still in the trunk of her damn car and parked way out in the guest lot.

“Why me,” she whined, although she had no one to blame but herself for forgetting to _bring some fucking clothes._

And to her luck, there was only one dire thing she could do.

“Keeeeeeith,” she reluctantly called, but then winced when she remembered she had locked him outside. She swallowed and gripped the towel more securely above her breasts. Her bare feet nervously patted the tiled floor as she thought about encountering Keith’s impending wrath. She could imagine his red face, furrowed brows, and gritted teeth perfectly and was not looking forward to it.

She moaned dejectedly and sucked in a deep breath. Well, it’s now or never.

With as much courage as she could muster, Pidge grabbed the knob and stepped out the bathroom.

Her body instantly recoiled back in alarm when she saw Keith nonchalantly laying down on his claimed bed. He was looking at his phone while wearing oversized headphones and chewing on a random piece of gum.

“Dammit!” Pidge cried out and placed a hand over her chest to calm her erratic heartbeat. She didn’t bother catching the door as it bounced against the wall. “You scared me! How the hell did you get back in here?”

He didn’t answer, nor raised his head. His attention seemed hyper focused on whatever content was playing in front of him.

Pidge would have snapped at him if she didn’t notice his backpack sitting on the nightstand. She perked up with hope. “You went back to my car?”

“I did.” He nodded as his fingers tapped rapidly on his screen. He still wasn’t looking at her. Pidge wondered how the hell he could understand her when she could hear his music blasting from where she was standing.

“Please tell me you got my stuff too.”

Keith finally looked up and turned his head towards her. There was an evil glint residing in his eyes. “Nope.” He made the ‘p’ pop at the end.

Pidge gaped. _“No?”_

“No,” he confirmed and tilted his head innocently. His gaze remained fixated on her face. “Are you done using the bathroom? Because I need to shower.”

Oh... Oh hell no.

Pidge childishly stomped in front of the bathroom and defiantly crossed her arms. “I don’t think so.”

Keith scoffed. “You’re seriously trying to block me from entering?”

“Yes,” she stated firmly.

“Don’t think just because you’re in a towel I won’t pick you up and toss you out my way.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

The moment those words escaped her lips, Pidge knew what a mistake it had been.

In less than a second, Keith had jumped off the bed and closed the distance between them. He lifted her lithe body off the floor and threw her carelessly to the side.

She yelped and scrambled around to make sure nothing on her body became exposed in the process. She didn’t have time to gather herself properly before Keith suddenly disappeared into the bathroom with an audible bang.

That son of a bitch…

Her skin bristled hotly as she fumed silently in her spot. Her anger increased tenfold when she heard Keith chuckling on the other side of the door and just _knew_ he was smirking triumphantly.

“Asshole,” Pidge growled and readjusted the hold on her towel. She ran a hand through her wet bangs and wondered what the hell she was supposed to do next. If the bastard wasn’t going to get her clothes, she needed to find a way to get them herself. The thought of putting her dirty ones back on made her nose wrinkle. She hated reusing the same attire if it hadn’t been washed yet; especially when it was covered in filth and sweat. Plus, it was still bunched up in the corner of the bathroom and the door was currently locked. How the hell would she get back in? She didn’t know how to pick a lock nor was she going to rudely walk in on Keith while he was getting ready to shower.

She cursed again under her breath as she looked around the room. There’s gotta be something in here she could put on. Do hotels have bathrobes? Maybe if they were a bit fancier than this place. Could she call the front desk and ask for one? If she explained the situation, would they be kind enough to bring her something to wear?

It was then her eyes swept over Keith’s backpack and stayed there. They widened as the gears inside her head started to turn until an idea formed.

 _‘Ha!’_ She thought and smirked. _‘This is going to be fun.’_  


* * *

  
The second Keith registered what he was seeing, his eye twitched until a tick pulsated above his temple. His knuckles clenched into fists as he grinded his teeth together at the small figure sitting on the bed.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

Pidge—who was currently dressed in  _his_ black joggers and  _his_ red tank he had been planning to wear after he showered—innocently glanced over her shoulder with a pout. She flinched and became flustered upon seeing him bare chested with a towel around his hips, but quickly recovered and replaced her expression with a sneer. She could ogle and think about his muscles later.

“About to go to sleep," she answered.

“Not with my clothes on.”

“Why not?” She flipped over on her bum and folded her legs. “They’re so comfortable.”

“They’re also not yours. They don’t even fit you!”

She twisted the loose strap on her shoulder. “I think they fit fine.”

“Go get your clothes from the car and get out of my mine!”

“I don’t feeeeeel like it.”

Keith grimaced at the spots on his tank top getting wet from her soaked hair. “Get out of my clothes!”

“Nope.” She mimicked the popping sound he made earlier and laid back on her arms. “Serves you right for being a jerk earlier.”

“You’re the one who locked me out.”

“You have no one to blame but yourself.”

“If you don’t get out of my clothes right this second I’m going to make you.”

“Careful what you say; it might sound a little risque.”

With trembling fingers, Keith gripped an imaginary ball in the air and envisioned squeezing Pidge’s head between his palms. He even went as far as adding sound effects to convey his irritation and it only added on to her amusement.

A part of her expected Keith to follow through to his word when he started marching towards her. She gripped a pillow behind her and was fully prepared to chuck it hard at him until—

“Fine. I’ll get your damn clothes for you.” He swiped her keys off the dresser. “Now go do something about your hair and stop getting my shirt wet!”

“Eh?” She blinked. Well, this was unexpected. “You’re going to go out like that?!” She peered up and down at his half-nudity.

“Do I have a choice?” Keith glared. “I’m not about to sleep naked. Not with you in the room.”

“The hell does that mean?”

At this, he smirked.

Pidge gulped. That can’t be good.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you were looking at me when I came out the shower.” He stepped forward until he was looming over her. “I may not comment on everything I observe, but if you want to be more discreet next time, you have to know I’m a lot more perceptive than what people take me for.”

Pidge’s eyes grew wide and round. All the muscles in her body froze shock and she could feel her throat close up while all the air was stolen out her lungs.

“Yeah, I thought that’d be your reaction.” Keith reached out and gently fist bumped her chin. “Be right back, Katie.”

He had barely taken two steps away from her before the car keys were snatched out his grip. He paused, glanced confusingly down at his empty hand, and hardly had time to register Pidge shuffling around before she was nothing but a blurred figure rushing out the room.

Keith blinked once, twice, three times, and then shrugged. At least one of them was finally getting her clothes now. The best part about it was that it didn’t have to be him.

He cocked an eyebrow and frowned slightly. Okay, that was a lie. His favorite part about this whole exchange definitely had been—

Pidge’s phone suddenly rang loudly from the dresser and interrupted his train of thought. When he looked over at the screen, his eyes spitefully narrowed.

Awesome. Dominique had to start calling _just_ when Pidge left the room. What are the fucking chances?

He pinched the bridge of his nose and ignored the ringing, hoping Pidge will make a swift return.  


* * *

  
Pidge sank back in the driver’s seat of the car with her knees up and nervously bit down on her forefinger between her teeth. She gripped her leg with a tightness that made her fingers cramped up and leave bruises on her skin. The air conditioner was turned all the way up and the radio station was playing some random techno music from a local station. The two distinctive noises helped fill in the heavy silence inside the vehicle and reduce the nauseating ache in the pit of her stomach.

If Lance knew she had ran away—especially over something as silly as being called out for ogling at Keith—he wouldn’t hesitate to smack her over the head. It’d be one of the few times he’d do it without worrying about Pidge’s retaliation.

 _“What the hell?”_ He’d say. _“I thought you were Katie Holt! Not some frightened chick who runs away if a penny drops on the floor! So what if you checked him out? It’s not a crime!”_

The thing is, it kinda felt like it.

Pidge had long ago accepted her secret fascination with Keith Kogane and figured no harm would be done so long as they kept some distance between them. He never seemed to acknowledge her existence on campus and she used that as a green light to watch him from afar whenever she was alone. Even after she started going out with Dominique, Keith had never left her conscious, which disappointed her. She then figured the admiration for the boy would dissolve down the road and opted to let her emotions ride out of the woodwork naturally.

Everything had been going great, until the moment she ran over Keith’s bike.

And now they somehow ended up here with each other; in this weird place where she wasn’t sure where they stand.

Pidge wanted to be Keith’s friend, but she couldn’t. Not when Lance has this rivalry with him. Not when Dominique is in the picture. Not when she’s developing a crush. 

Maybe she should have left Keith alone in the first place.

She instantly shook her head to shake off the horrendous thought. No, that wouldn’t have been right no matter what the situation had been. Even if she had attempted to follow through with that option, her compassionate heart wouldn’t have allowed it.

_Knock. Knock._

Pidge jolted and peeked up at the passenger window to see Keith with his fist on the glass. He was wearing the same clothes from before and had even put his gloves back on. She brought her legs down from the seat and smoothed out the creases on her lap, staring at him expectantly.

Keith took this as a silent cue to come inside. Pidge cleared her throat and avoided looking at him.

“You’ve been gone for half an hour,” he stated as he closed the door. “I got worried.”

“I didn’t ask,” she muttered bitterly.

“I’m just telling you.”

She didn’t respond.

Keith sighed and drummed his fingers against the armrest. He watched her for a few moments and suddenly blurted, “Dominique and I went to the same high school together.”

Pidge’s reaction came in a lot slower than Keith expected. She frowned, jerked her head back, and turned sharply to give him a puzzled look.

“Seriously?”

Keith’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t look like you believe me.”

“I just thought Dominique would have mentioned something like that. Lance has talked smack about you before in front of him and he’s never said a word about you. It seems... odd. I’m sure Dominique would have at least have hinted he knew you.”

“Yeah, but there’s a reason he doesn't.” Keith laid back and brought his leg up to rest his other arm on. “I’ve beaten his ass before.”

Pidge’s eyes expanded to its max capacity. _“What?”_

Keith sighed. Well, here it goes.

“The summer after our high school graduation, Shiro and Allura started hanging out with Dominique and his clique. I don’t even know how they met, but I never tagged along with them because I was working on my paper to get into the aerospace engineering program at Altea and looking for scholarship money. Anyway, somewhere down the line, he hooked up with Allura.” Keith glanced at Pidge. “Did you know that?”

She shrugged. “I mean I’m well aware he’s had girlfriends before me. I know I’m not the first."

“You’re also not the first he’s using to boost his ego.” Keith clenched his knuckles tight and glared at a random spot on the dashboard. “I don’t know what’s up with that guy trying to hook up with chicks for that reason. It’s so stupid. I didn’t think somebody could be that painfully two-dimensional and it pisses me off. The minute I found out what his intentions were for Allura I tracked the bastard down and kicked his ass.”

Pidge didn’t like what she was hearing. Dread overcame her and she could sense something worse was about to come out of Keith’s mouth. She lowered her gaze and searched for a safe spot in her mind to calm her nerves.

“I thought high school would be the last time I’d see him, but then we both started going to Altea and we’d see each other from time to time across the hall or something. I had already promised Shiro I wouldn’t repeat history and that I would let the issue go. Allura had long broken up with Dominique after what I did, so I was fine with that. Dominique and I came to a silent agreement we wouldn’t get in each other’s way and that we’d mind our own business. It was all good, until I heard him talking about you at this winter party Allura dragged Shiro and me into.”

Pidge didn’t react. Keith continued.

“I remember your brother invited you. It was the time he wanted to introduce you to all of us, but I think you had gotten sick the night before and couldn’t come.”

She nodded. She remembered.

“So Allura being Allura, forced us all to loosen up and have fun. She put me in charge of getting them shots from the bar and when I went to go get them around the third time, Dominque was nearby with his friends. I was about to leave after the bartender made the drinks until I heard your name come up in the conversation they were having.”

“What were they saying?” Pidge found herself asking. She had spoken so low, Keith almost didn’t catch it.

He hesitated. “It was a bet... a bet if Dominique could...”

The rest of the sentence didn’t need to be said out loud. Pidge was smart enough to fill in the blanks and her body went numb with shock. She was frozen stiff as her mind replayed memories of all the sweet words Dominique had showered her with.

\---

_“You look cute when you’re knee deep buried in textbooks.”_

_“I like it when your hair is down. I love how it curls at the end.”_

_“Mhm... soft lips.”_

_“Honestly if I could sing, I’d get up on that stage right now and serenade to you.”_

_“I think we have an incredible connection.”_

_“You look perfect tonight.”_

\---

“... about a month later, I hear from Lance that you two became an item.” Keith finished and sighed. “I would have said something to Matt, or at least Shiro, but I thought Lance would be the one to tell you to stay away from that asshole.”

“What does he and Hunk have to do with it?” Her voice was rough, cold—there was a flicker of anger rising up in her ready to explode.

“They were there, Katie. They heard everything.”

As much as Dominique's actions hurt, it didn’t twist the knife inside her chest. The idea of Lance and Hunk having knowledge of this information fucking _crushed her heart._

“No,” she snapped. “No, you’re wrong.” She turned defiantly towards him. “They’re my best friends. They wouldn’t keep this from me.”

“They were at the bar,” Keith revealed and gave her a pitied look. “Lance was trying to mack on the bartender while Hunk was watching.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“You _know_ how loud Dominique and his friends can be. They’re rowdy for no reason. You can hear them from across a crowded room.”

“Not with the music playing, everybody talking at once, and with alcohol in their systems. No. I don’t believe Lance and Hunk knew.”

 _‘So then why don’t they like him?’_ her conscious spat the awful reminder. _‘Why couldn’t they tell you before? What’s their excuse?’_

As her mind worked double-time to grope for a logical explanation, Keith dug into his pocket and pulled out Pidge’s cell phone.

“He keeps calling you,” Keith said bitterly. “Dominique I mean. Loudmouth also sent you a message.”

She glared at the device in his hand. She swallowed thickly and reached out to take it, expecting Keith to let go. Instead, he gripped it tight and pulled it forward until they were eye-leveled.

“What?” Pidge hissed.

Keith’s gaze hardened. “I’m not the bad guy here.”

“I know.”

“Then stop acting like I am.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re projecting your anger on me. I can _feel_ it.”

“I’m upset. That normally happens when someone drops a bullshit bomb on you.”

“Why would I lie to you?” Keith demanded.

Pidge bit her bottom lip and lowered her head. She released a shaky exhale, forcefully snatched her phone, and got out the car.

“I need to be alone,” she said and closed the door before Keith could say anything.

He watched her return to the hotel with an apologetic expression.  


* * *

  
As soon as Pidge entered the room, she dropped the enraged facade and allowed herself to start tearing up. Her fingers numbly worked to type in the passcode on her phone and tapped on Lance’s goofy icon picture to call him. He answered on the second ring.

 _“Hey Pidge! How’s my favorite shorty?”_ He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he started babbling away. _“By the way I don’t know if it was me being sleep deprived since I was waiting for you to call me back, but when I called last night it sounded like Keith was with you—"_

“Dominique made a bet with his friends to sleep with me,” she croaked. “Did... Did you know this?”

The longer Lance remained quiet, the more Pidge could feel the knife digging deeper into her back. She squeezed her lids shut and dragged her back down against the wall until she hit the floor.

“Oh my God... you did."

 _“No!”_ Lance quickly yelled. She could hear him scrambling around in his bed to sit up. _"That’s not it! Katie, you have to understand Hunk and I were REALLY drunk and we weren’t even sure if what we heard was true. I was hitting on a damn plant that night and he was making out with a beer bottle.”_

“That’s not an excuse. It’s not even a valid one to explain why you two never liked him to begin with!”

_“Katie, Dominique has had A LOT of girls under his belt. Shouldn’t that be enough of a warning for you?”_

“You’ve had a lot of boys and girls under _your_ belt. Should that stop Hunk from being with you?”

_“No, because that’s different—"_

“Save it. I don’t want to talk to you or Hunk right now. I’m blocking both of you."

_“Wait, no! How am I supposed to know if you’re doing okay on the road?!”_

“Ask Matt for all the updates.”

_Click._

Her face was tear stained and her nose was red from all the crying. Nevertheless, Pidge still decided to video chat with Dominique. She needed to see his face when she confronted him.

The second his familiar onyx-colored eyes and dark-brown hair showed up on the screen, a fresh new wave of angry tears threatened to fall.

 _“Babe?”_ He rose up from his bed in alarm. He was shirtless. _“What happened? Was it that Keith kid? Did he do something? Where are you? I swear I’m gonna_ _—"_

“You’ve done enough.” She surprised herself at how clear and strong her vocals were. She didn’t even stutter like she usually did whenever she cried. “Go find the next girl to bet on, cause’ your dick is not going anywhere near me.”

The way his face contorted into bewilderment and confusion made Pidge want to laugh and cry out at the same time. She chose to do neither and hovered her thumb over the end call button.

 _“Is that what Keith told you?”_ He asked, attempting to turn the tables over. _“He’s lying,”_

“Yeah... I don’t see why he’d do that.”

_“You’d rather believe a stranger over your boyfriend?”_

“What boyfriend?” She snapped. “As far as I know, I don't have one anymore.”

_“You’re not—"_

“Goodbye Dominique. It was nice knowing ya, but we’re never doing this again.”

_Click._

Once the phone dropped and clattered noisily by her feet, Pidge covered her face and let the tears run freely. Her body shook as she tucked herself into a ball and sobbed quietly all by herself, thinking about what she would give to be anywhere but here.  
  


* * *

  
Keith stood outside the room, head resting back on the door and foot propped up against it. He had his arms folded across his chest as he stared up at the ceiling, listening to the broken hiccup's coming from the other side. With every minute that ticked by, his scowl deepened and his teeth grinded harder together.

He always hated hearing people cry; especially over someone not worth shedding tears over.

But he knew Pidge was crying for much more than that. He would like to know why. He _wanted_ to know why.

He also knew she needed to let out her emotions first. She had held everything in the car, not wanting him to see her break down. If he walked in there right now, she’d stop immediately and conceal it all again, pretending to be more angry than hurt. That wouldn’t do her good. If she needed to cry, then he’s going to let her cry.

And he’d stand out in the hallway for as long as she needed him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I KNOW I CAN TREEEEAAAAT YOU BETTTEEEERR...THAN HE CAN."
> 
> Probably what Keith is singing right now. Hard to tell.


	5. Got Your Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith does his best to help Pidge after her break-up.

Pidge doesn’t recall much after her breakup with Dominique. If anything, everything played out like a lackadaisical blur.

She doesn’t remember opening the door to let Keith in, but she knew she did because it had been a mission getting herself off the floor to answer the subtle knocks. She doesn’t remember Keith asking her if she needed him to do anything, but she vaguely remembered shaking her head in response and walking away from him, not wanting him look at her teary eyes longer than necessary. She doesn’t remember her own feet taking small, tentative steps to carry her back to bed, but she’s reminded of this languid action because of the blanket currently wrapped tight around her body like a second skin. What she does remember was curling up into a tight ball, digging her face into the pillow, and falling asleep with broken thoughts.

When she woke up, the first thing she wondered was why it was so dark in the room.

Pidge frowned and shot up in her bed out of frazzled alarm. Her hair bounced on her shoulders and fell over her arms, covering her chest. She blinked and brought a hand to her face, startled to find her cheek still wet from crying herself to sleep. Her other hand flew to grip her lap and her frown increased at the unfamiliar material she was touching. She glanced down and her eyes widen when she realized whose clothes she was still wearing.

“Keith…”

“Hmm?”

Pidge jerked her head over her shoulder to see a hidden lumped figure on the other bed. She turned around and pulled the sheets away from her body.

“What... What time is it?”

Keith shifted under the covers. Pidge could see a blue light illuminating through the comforter.

“It’s ten,” he answered. A pause. “I’m starving.”

Pidge absentmindedly placed a hand on her stomach—over Keith’s muscle tank—and squeezed it. When was the last time she ate? She can’t remember.

“You need to eat something too.” Keith’s voice was still gritty from sleep as he lifted himself off the bed, pulling the sheets down until it bunched around his hips. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm and rested back on his free hand. “What are you in the mood for? I can buy.”

He was shirtless.

For a moment, Pidge allowed herself to give into her secret admiration for Keith and let her eyes wander. She _was_ single after all. Who was there to stop her with guilt?

... aaaaand what a way to kill her own mood.

Her lips parted and her eyes became glazed; mind functioning like a drugged sloth as she recounted everything that occurred from the past thirty-six hours.

\---

_“This morning when Lance and I were getting breakfast, we overheard a few risque things Dominique was telling his friends,” Hunk explained._

\---

Why couldn’t she have seen this unwanted drama coming from a mile away? Hunk’s words should’ve been her first and only clue. How could Pidge let herself overlook this?

\---

_“I only did what needed to be done,” Lance scowled and crossed his arms. “I couldn’t ignore the bullshit coming out his mouth.”_

\---

But Lance somehow allowed it to slide before. How the hell could he and Hunk not tell her about the bet? Even if they were in an inebriated state, that shit was still not an excuse. As the two people she trusted most in the world, they should have told her regardless of the circumstances.

\---

_“Hi, my name is Katie,” Keith mocked in a flat tone. “And I need a new boyfriend.”_

\---

Pidge thought Keith was only being an ass and making fun of her drama with Dominique. Because of this, she didn’t initially believe he had a valid opinion to begin with. Little did she know he knew more about her boyfriend than she did.

\---

 _“Babe?” Dominique rose up from his bed in alarm. “What happened? Was it that Keith kid? Did he do something? Where are you? I swear I’m gonna_ —"

\---

Dominique had played her. He had her completely fooled and she hated herself for being so fucking blind.

Throughout this entire charade he had taken her out, smiled at her, held her, and kissed her awaiting lips that always left her grinning afterwards like an oblivious moron.

And he didn’t even care for her.

He didn’t care for her.

He... didn’t care.

“Katie?”

Pidge jumped and raised her head. She hadn’t realized she'd been quiet for some time and staring pointedly at the floor.

“Sorry. Uhm…” She cleared her throat. “I think there’s a chinese takeout menu by the door. We can order from there.”

Keith tilted his head to side and analyzed her silently. His gaze hardened. “You’re crying…”

Pidge blinked twice and touched her face, where a couple of tears curved down her cheekbones and slid under her chin. She swallowed hard to erase the lump in her throat and inhaled shakingly. She can’t break down again. Not in front of Keith.

“I—I need to go wash up.”

Pidge numbly reached for her phone and slipped out of bed. She hurriedly disappeared into the bathroom and immediately turned on the faucet, leaving Keith to stare at the glaring openness of the hotel room.

She flattened her hands on the sink’s surface and dropped her head forward until it rested on the mirror. She watched the water flow and swirl around beneath her, wishing she could disappear with it down the tiny drain. She hasn’t been awake for that long, but it didn’t stop all the morose thoughts from invading her mind.

He didn’t care for her.

He didn’t even care for her.

He didn’t... care.

And it left her with a haunting question Pidge might never get an answer to.

_Why?  
_

* * *

_  
_ “You need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry..."

Keith shook his head and handed her a plastic fork. “The last thing I remember you eating was an energy bar from the gas station last night. You need _real_ food if we’re going on the road again.”

She scrunched her face. “But we’re not leaving until morning.”

“It’s better to travel at night,” he explained and took a seat on the nightstand beside her bed. He ripped the plastic wrap off his food container and popped the lid open. “Little to no cars on the road, meaning we can get to Florida faster.”

Wow. Keith doesn’t waste any time. Then again, who would want to spend another second with a melancholy girl who just broke up with her boyfriend? Of course he’s not going to enjoy being in the same car as her with the dour atmosphere hanging thick in the air. She might start randomly tearing up and he wasn’t going to be in the mood for that.

If it hadn’t been weird for him before, it definitely was now.

“I can’t eat this.” Pidge pointed at the fried rice on her lap. It smelled amazing.

“Why not?”

“Doesn’t this have eggs in it?”

“No.” Keith ate a spoonful of food and swallowed. “I asked them to make it veggies only.”

Pidge raised a skeptical eyebrow. “How come?”

“Matt mentioned you were vegan once.”

She blinked at him in shock. “O-Oh…”

Keith nodded. “So now you don’t have an excuse. Eat up.”

It had taken Dominique three whole weeks to remember Pidge was vegan, which had been a pain every time he took her out to dinner or tried to surprise her with coffee that had regular milk instead of almond. Explaining to him why she refuses to consume white sugar had been an exhausting task and reminding him that she doesn’t only eat “fruits and salads” all the time was beyond annoying.

So it amazed her that Keith had recalled this detail about her; mainly because he most likely heard it in passing and not in an actual conversation. She can imagine Matt bringing it up once while talking to Shiro and Keith just happened to be nearby when it happened.

Even though Keith was too busy eating his late night dinner to notice Pidge looking at him, she still gave him an appreciative smile.  


* * *

  
Somehow it was harder for Pidge to shove her duffle bag back in the trunk, despite taking it out with ease half an hour ago to change into some fresh clothes after she showered. She’s been trying relentlessly for a minute to push the damn thing as far as she could—at least enough to get the trunk to close—but it wouldn’t budge no matter how much strength she used or how hard she dug her heels into the ground.  

Standing back, she blew out an irritated breath, wondering what the hell was taking Keith so long to check them out the room. She needed his help.

“It’d be a lot easier if you take out my bike.” There he is.

“I’m not dumping your bike out,” she said. “I told you I’m going to get it repaired.”

“It’s beyond repairable…”

“Did you find some foods to snack on for the road?”

“Just some chips from the vending machines.” Keith held up a plastic bag. “I got you some too.”

Pidge cocked her head to the side. “Vegan?”

“Searched and verified by Google,” he confirmed and pointed to the backseat with his chin. “Put your bag there if you’re not planning on throwing away my bike. Or pick up more hitchhikers on the way.”

“No serial killers are allowed in my car.”

Keith playfully rolled his eyes and took out her duffel bag from the trunk to put in the backseat. “Noted. Where are your keys?”

Pidge fished them out her front pocket. “Right here.”

“Give it to me. I’ll drive.”

“What? No way. You drove most of last night!”

“I’m fine to do it again.”

“And I’m fine too.”

Keith gave her a pointed look. “Katie, please.”

“What?” Pidge repeated and stubbornly placed a hand on her hip. “You’re looking at me like I can’t do this.”

“I know you can, but do you _want_ to?”

“I’m okay with it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Positive?”

She narrowed her eyes. “What are you _really_ trying to ask me?”

He didn’t answer. She didn’t need him to. It was written all over his face plain as day.

_Pity._

She scowled offensively. He winced.

“I’m driving,” she spat coldly.

“Katie—"

“My car. My trip. _My_ decision.”

Keith sighed and put his hands up in surrender, not even bothering to correct her that this was technically _their_ trip. He wasn’t in the mood to get into another argument with Pidge and opted to settle for whatever she wanted to do. They were still trying to find a balance in each other’s elements—or at least _he_ was—and the less they bumped heads, the smoother the ride will be.

He’ll just have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn’t end up dozing off behind the wheel again. It’s the least he could do.  


* * *

  
When Pidge decided to go on this road trip alone, she didn’t think about how lonely she’d feel. She didn’t think about driving through foreign cities and staying at decent three-star hotels with nobody beside her. At the time, she had still been fuming over what an asshat her ex-boyfriend was and didn’t want to be within the same perimeter as him. She had other things preoccupying her mind; like sitting through another lecture from her parents about getting serious with someone. She hasn’t told her mother about breaking up with Dominique, mainly because she knew it’ll strike up a conversation about a future she couldn’t envision.

However, driving for an hour straight—while staring miserably at the empty Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway—with someone who was still a stranger, made her wish she  _was_ alone.

It’s dark—around one in the morning—and as Keith predicted earlier, there wasn’t a single soul out here. Nothing but the dimly-lit asphalt with gleaming white lines in front of them and the music on the radio playing over the sound of rubber wheels driving on pavement.

If Pidge had been alone, she would still be in the hotel room, probably watching Netflix on her laptop until she knocked out. Maybe even start planning on what to do next now that she had more free time on her hands and not be persuaded to drive all night for the second time in a row.

She glanced over at Keith, who was reading a survival handbook he found in her glove compartment and scowled annoyingly. If he noticed, he didn’t give a hint that he did and continued skimming through the pages.

After a moment, Pidge deflated and sighed. Then again, if she hadn’t dragged Keith with her, she’d still be in the dark about Dominique’s true intentions. As much as she hated to admit it, she might’ve forgiven him for spreading the rumor about them and that would be the end of the drama.

“You’re fidgeting a lot.”

Pidge tapped the steering wheel. “I’m thinking.”

“About?”

“Why do you care?”

What Keith said next surprised the hell out of her. Instead of biting back with a sarcastic reply, he asked, “want to finish our 21 questions game?”

Pidge could only stare at him with bewildered eyes as he lowered the volume on the radio. Keith looked at her with the most gentlest smile she’s ever seen him give and motioned her to start any time she was ready.

It was... It was...

Pidge eventually nodded, suddenly realizing that she’d do anything right now to not think about Dominique. To keep her from thinking about how he played her. Toyed with her. Lied to her. _Used_ her.

Keith smiled wider. Her chest fluttered.

“Ask away.”

She licked her lips nervously. “Uhm… you go first.”

He shrugged. “What places did you want to visit when you had planned this road trip?”

“... you might laugh at me.”

“Try me.”

“Alright.” Pidge drummed the steering wheel thoughtfully. “Other than the typical tourist attractions... I wanted to stop by some museums, galleries, monuments, a couple conventions that are happening this month, and some restaurants.”

Keith gave her a look that read he wasn’t buying any of that. Or at least not all of it.

“What?” 

“I’m in a car with a girl who went through a cryptid and ghost adventure phase last year. Are you really trying to tell me that haunted asylums and creepy inns aren’t under your radar?”

Her jaw dropped. “How... How _much_ did Matt tell you about me?!”

“It wasn’t your brother. Lance told me."

Oh, because that’s _so_ much better.

“You two sure seem to talk a lot for a couple of dudes who can’t seem to get along.”

“He does all the yapping whenever we have a class break,” Keith revealed. “He also talks a lot before and after an exam. It’s like his nervous outlet or something.”

Pidge was still wrapping her head around the knowledge that Keith is aware about her bizarre interests. Embarrassment at its finest. She’s dying a little inside.

“What’s waiting for you in Florida?” She asked, wanting to steer the focus off of her.

“... someone,” he answered carefully.

“Family member? A friend?” Pidge wiggled her eyebrows. “A special someone?”

“You’re nosey.”

“Cut me some slack. I just got my heart broken.”

Keith couldn’t hide the disdain if he tried. “Did you really care about the guy?”

It was so obvious whom Keith was talking about that it placed a sour taste in Pidge’s mouth. Not because he’s asking it, but because of the answer she had.

“I cared about him enough to know if we could have had something great between us," she explained. "I cared enough to make this work even though we were nearly opposites of each other. Before I found out why he was with me in the first place, obviously.”

Dominique may not be physically there, but he still didn’t deserve the nice confession. He didn’t deserve to know how she used to think about him.

She clenched her jaw. _He didn’t deserve any of it._

“Easy,” Keith teased, sensing the surge of anger radiating off of her. “You’re still driving.”

“So?”

“It’s still consider vehicular manslaughter if you run somebody over.”

“What if they deserved it for being an asshole?”

“Take it up to the judge and see what they say.”

“I have plenty to say.”

“I’m surprised you’re not actually rambling your mouth away.”

A low growl rumbled inside Pidge’s throat. “Excuse me?”

“You usually did during psychology class,” Keith explained, unfazed by her defensive attitude. “Especially when you were arguing with the professor about those studies on human behavior.”

“You can’t possibly expect me to believe some of those social experiments were accurate enough to warrant some of those ridiculous theories. Of course I was going to point out everything wrong with them. Wait..." She snapped her head towards him. _“You_ were in Dr. Kaltenecker’s class last year?”

“I was,” Keith confirmed. “What? Didn’t realize me sitting four rows behind you?”

 _“Four?”_ Her voice screeched at an unnatural pitch. “No. No way. I’m calling bullshit.”

“Why is that?”

“I would’ve noticed you. I’m sure of it.”

“Oh?” Keith smirked and shifted until his back rested on the passenger door and raised a foot on the seat cushion.

Pidge realized a second too late what came out her mouth and blanched. She stuttered and tried her best to fight off the blush on her cheeks. “Don’t think too much into it. You just... stand out to me. That’s all. Nothing more. Yeah.”

Keith hummed in response.

“Are you sure you were in that class with me?” Pidge couldn’t help to reiterate the question. “I know there were 200 students in there but I’m positive I would’ve at least recognized you among the crowd.”

“You had short hair at the time,” Keith recounted. “When it became long enough you started putting it to the side as a ponytail.”

“... holy shit you _were_ there.”

“Did you think I was lying?”

“Like I said before—you _stand out._ It’s hard to miss you.” Pidge tilted her head to the side, looking at the road with a distant expression. “You practically have an army of admirers at your feet, you know.”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t pay them any attention.”

“Right, cause’ you got that _me, myself, and I_ vibe going on about you.”

His forehead ticked in irritation. “It’s not me who is self-absorbed. I’m the one who remembered _you_ in psychology. You’re the one who didn’t notice me.”

Which is something Pidge was currently trying to figure out as she bit her thumb. How the hell _did_ that happen?

“I guess I just never bothered to turn around to see who else was in the class,” she concluded. It was the only explanation she could think of. “Are we still playing the game? Is it my turn to ask the question?”

“I’m not keeping track,” Keith admitted and laid his head back against the window, shifting his eyes to the road. “Ask away.”

“You never did tell me who you’re visiting in Florida.”

“A family member. Happy?”

Pidge frowned. “Not when you say it like that. Why couldn’t you have said it earlier? You gave me a vague answer before.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and whispered in a leery tone, “makes me wonder if you’re hiding something.”

Keith deadpanned. “I’m going to save you the trouble of playing detective and tell you I’m not visiting a serial killer.”

She gaped. “How the—"

“You’re so predictable it’s almost hysterical.”

“Well then…” She huffed and slumped back. “You’re just a boring person after all, huh?”

“No better than someone who is predictable.”

“I’m not predictable.”

“Predictable _and_ delusional.”

“Don’t think I won’t stop this car to kick your ass.”

“You wouldn't be able to catch me.”

Pidge’s hand shot out to punch his shoulder and missed completely. Damn her short arms.

“Asshole,” she hissed. “Pain in my ass.”

He dared let out an attractive chuckle. “You’re the one who wanted to drive.”

“To be _nice."_

“How thoughtful of you.”

“Okay you know what—” Pidge turned up the radio a little more, “—I’m going to stop talking to you so we don’t die tonight.”

“Don’t want to continue the game?”

_“No.”_

Keith shrugged. As long as she wasn’t still moping over her ex, he was alright with the silence.  
  


* * *

  
Keith watched Pidge walk off towards one of the service station’s restrooms with the phone pressed between her ear and shoulder. She’s punching some keys on the GPS device in her hands and talking rapidly to whomever was on the other line. It must be Matt from the jabs and insults grumbling out her mouth. He hoped she didn’t speak that way to her parents.

He wasn’t sure what was going on or why Pidge seemed to be frustrated. He had been pumping gas into the car when she abruptly got out the vehicle and stomped away with a string of curses.

Well, at least she was directing her anger to someone else. Keith was getting tired of being on the receiving end of her temper.

The car beeped, signaling the tank was full. Keith jiggled the handle a few times to get the last drops out and pulled out the diesel to close the nozzle. He placed it back where it belonged and took his credit card out the machine, never taking his eyes off of Pidge.

He heard her groan all the way from where he stood. That can’t be good.

A drop of water hit his nose and he blinked, glancing up at the sky in time to hear it rumble.

Okay, he’s got a pretty good idea of what’s gotten Pidge riled up now.

When she came back, her cheeks were puffed and her nose was flaring.

_Cute._

“What happened?” Keith crossed his arms.

“The GPS Matt made didn’t warn me about the doomsday weather that’s about to hit us,” she sniped. “Also, the hotel I originally booked but canceled doesn’t have any more rooms available for the night.”

Keith studied the clouds above them. “Is it really going to be that bad?”

 _“We’re_ not driving through a thunderstorm,” Pidge declared. “There’s a motel near here we can crash at. Hopefully they have a room for us.” She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear and walked around the other side of the car. “Do you mind driving while I navigate?”

“Not at all.” Keith shook his head and caught the keys Pidge threw. “Tell me where to go.”

She nodded and they both entered the vehicle.  


* * *

  
The downpour falls on them a lot sooner than expected, much to their chagrin.

Pidge gives Keith a nervous look, and though he doesn’t say a word his knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel tight. He’s driving way below the speed limit and he’s one-hundred percent focused on the road; or what little of it he can see. The water on the windshield puts their visibility close to zero and the wipers can only do so much to clear their sight. The headlights doesn’t help much either, even with the high beams on.

“When do I turn?”

“Go on your right lane,” Pidge instructed. “There’s going to be an exit ramp.”

“Is that the motel right there? The one with the blue sign?”

She squinted out her window. “How the hell can you see that? All I see are blurred lights.”

“Hence why I’m glad you handed me the keys instead of fighting it over,” Keith admitted.

“Do you have to say everything that’s on your mind?”

“I’ll stop when you do.”

Pidge brushed off the statement and unbuckled her seat belt. Keith eyed her warily through his peripheral.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to crawl my way through the back to get our stuff. I’m not risking getting your bike wet.”

“What about all that stuff you have there?”

Pidge levered the seat all the way back, picked up Keith’s backpack, dropped it on his lap, and reached out to carelessly push all the others items to the floor.

“Well that’s one way to do it,” Keith muttered. He listened in amusement to Pidge’s struggling grunts and curses as she folded down the seat.

“I have an umbrella here... but I think it’ll be useless.”

“We're going to get wet no matter what. The parking lot turned into a swimming pool.”

“Huh?” Pidge stuck her head out and observed the area. She groaned. “Looks like the flash flood warnings weren’t for show after all.” Her shoulders went slack. “Dammit.”

“It’s only water.”

“It’s filthy.”

“Afraid of getting a little dirty?” He taunted.

She scowled. “I don’t smell pretty when I’m drenched from head to toe.”

“You smelled fine when you came out the shower yester—HEY!”

“You can’t say things like that!” Pidge kicked his arm, then went back to rummaging through the bags in the trunk with flustered cheeks. “It’s inappropriate…”

Keith gave her the _are-fucking-kidding-me_ look through the rearview mirror. Granted her ass was all he could see, but he did it anyway.

He pulled into the motel’s parking lot and waited for Pidge to assort the overnight bag on her lap. He turned off the ignition, studying the run-down building with skepticism and scrunched his nose up in distaste. This place looked like a spot where hookers would bring in their clients for quick business fucks, or for drug addicts to crash at when they have nowhere else to go.

All in all, the motel looked shady as hell.

“I’m ready.” Pidge grabbed the door handle and slings the bag over her shoulder. “Let’s make a break for it.”

“Hold up.” Keith seized her arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“About to run for my life?”

“The water is too high for you.”

“Your point?”

“Get on my back.”

“What? Why?”

“You’re gonna have a hard time walking through all this.” Keith gestured all around them. “Our best bet is for me to carry you.”

A part of Pidge knew this is a good idea, while the other part stubbornly refuses to let her height be an issue. Another part secretly hoped the storm will pass over quickly and they wouldn’t have to stop at this motel for the rest of the night. Then the other part of her… well, staying with Keith again—

_“Katie.”_

“Fine, fine.” Pidge gave in to silence her thoughts and motioned for him to turn around. “But if you complain that I’m heavy—"

“You’re not.” Keith affirmed and rolled his eyes. “I’ve carried you before. You're lightweight."

“Yet, you still dropped me.”

“Would you hurry up?” He snapped, losing his patience. “I don’t exactly feel safe in here.”

Right at that moment, lightning crackled loudly above them.

Pidge bit her lips as she tentatively secured her arms and legs around Keith. The second she made contact, her face instantly went on fire. Even more so when she pressed her chest against his back and his hands gripped her outer thighs firmly.

He opened the door and squeezed her legs reassuringly. Somehow, she knew it was his way of telling her to hang on tight.

She listened.

Thunder roared dangerously across the sky and the wind blew violently. The weather is gross altogether, but Pidge could only focus on the warmth of Keith’s body heat radiating against hers as he sprinted towards the motel’s entrance.

In a strange way, she felt completely safe.


	6. Take My Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So what do you say?” He asked gently. “Will you let me go on this road trip adventure with you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for being patient I love you all.

The rain reminded Pidge of a lot of things.

It reminded her of the time she found her dog Rover hiding in a cardboard box at an alley, and the time Matt broke his leg climbing down the treehouse when they were younger. It reminded her of the time she scraped her knee when she was skateboarding through the park, and the very first time she noticed Keith through a window inside a small cafe.

It also reminded her of the day she vowed to be just as great—if not better—than her older brother and the rest of the kids at school when it came to academics.

Pidge had a perfectionist streak growing up. She had always strived to be the best in every subject and would study at every waking moment. Being the determined, highly intelligent, overachiever she forced herself to become, Pidge never allowed herself to bare any room for mistakes. It was a tough challenge she put herself in at an early age, but she figured it will be worth it in the end.

And it totally was. At least that’s what she convinced herself to believe.

Skipping two years of high school should’ve made her proud of herself. Graduating early and attending college at sixteen should’ve given her the fresh start she had been dying to have. Winning tons of scholarship money and being recognized for her talents should’ve fulfilled the hole in her heart that craved for something special. Any one of these factors should’ve placed her on a high pedestal of happiness and make her feel like she was on top of the world.

None of that happened. Not when she earned her high school diploma stamped with a special golden star on stage. Not when she received her early acceptance letter to Altea University. Not when her name was called first place at every competition she entered in. Not when she saw herself doing better than everyone else in school.

Something valuable was missing from her life. Pidge knew this. She just didn't know where to begin to look, and it wasn't like she had a map to guide her.

A lot of people begin their lives by seeing black and white. Pidge never experienced this. She had been walking through a bunch of grey clouds ever since she could remember and has been praying for the day that something— _anything—_ to appear and clear up her dull sky. Even if that _anything_ burns her life plans into ashes. Even if it breaks her focus to continue to be perfect. Even if it makes her world crash, she wanted it to paint her blank canvas with splashes of color and bring the work of art to life.

All she wanted was a masterpiece to call her own. One that will make her spirit explode into a burst of flames.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

In the fifteen seconds it took for Keith to sprint all the way to the entrance of the rundown motel (how he managed that through a thunderstorm without busting his ass Pidge will never know), was all the time it took for them to get drenched completely from head to toe.

The downpour soaked through every inch of Pidge’s hair and forced every lock to stick to her like a second skin. Her bangs plastered themselves all over her face and obscured her vision until she tucked them behind her ears. She gasped and shivered violently at the freezing gust of wind coming from one of the opened windows, unintentionally tightening her grip around Keith and burying her face into his back.

“You good?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder and blinking water out his eyes.

The seemingly casual question has Pidge tensing up her arms. Not because of the inquiry itself, but _holy shit_ the wet look on Keith was—

“How may I assist you two?”

Keith was the first one to rip his gaze away and turn his attention to the high-pitched voice behind the desk. He was surprised to see a little boy standing on a stool with a blue blazer, red tie, hair slicked to the side with copious amount of gel, and hands folded neatly on top of the table. He was staring at Keith and waiting patiently for a response, which had Keith staring back dumbfoundedly.

“Uhhh…”

Pidge snorted and tickled his ear with her breath. “Charming.”

Keith’s eyebrow twitched at her sarcastic remark. “Either I drop you again or you behave,” he threatened.

“How about you put me down so I can get us a room?”

“You two need one for the night?” The little boy asked and reached into a drawer to pull out a thick binder. “We have plenty available, so you can choose whichever you’d like.”

“Where is your mother?” Keith couldn’t help but question. It came out harsher than he intended.

“Dead. She died giving birth to me.”

Cold silence, and then—

“Gah!” Keith winced and held the back of his head. He whirled around to glare at Pidge, who had leaped off his back. “What did I do?!”

She ignored him and walked around to smile sadly at the little boy. “I apologize on the idiot’s behalf and I’m very sorry for your loss. Yes, we would like to book a room for tonight if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Not at all!” The little boy beamed and flipped to the appropriate page. “Please sign your names here and I’ll run to get my uncle so he can give you the keys!”

“Thank you.”

As the little boy leaped off the stool and disappeared into the back room, Pidge busted out laughing and pointed at a flustered Keith.

“What?” He snarled.

“You’re such a trip.”

 _“How_ am I a trip?”

“Did you had to ask about his mother _specifically?”_

“I think it's normal to wonder why a child is the one assigning rooms in the middle of a thunderstorm!”

“You made yourself look like an asshole.”

“And that’s funny _how?”_

“Because it is.”

“You’re such a delight," he grumbled sarcastically.

“At least I didn’t make a kid tell me how his mother died,” she muttered as she signed in their names.

Keith scowled and crossed his arms, leaning his back against the wall. “Shut up.”

Pidge lifted her head to bite back with a remark, only for the words to die on her lips. Her eyes grew wide and round and the muscles in her neck froze.

When the hell did Keith tie his hair back into a low ponytail? Fuck, he looked wildly attractive like that. Even more so with his shirt being wet and clinging tantalizingly onto his upper body. She could see every definition of muscle in his arms and chest and the impressive breadth of his shoulders. Shit, if she analyzed a little harder, she could even see his—

“We should ask for two rooms.”

Pidge jerked back from la-la land and raised her gaze back up to his face. “Huh?”

“The boy said this place has plenty of rooms available, right?” He stepped forward to peer down at the slot Pidge was writing their names under. “Scratch my name out and put it next to your room.”

“Why? Wouldn’t that cost more?”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t you want some privacy?”

“We’re only staying until the storm passes over,” Pidge explained. “Which is only going to be a few hours. According to my weather radar, at least.”

The sky outside rumbled powerfully and lightning crashed above them, illuminating the motel lobby for half a second. Keith inclined his head doubtfully and frowned. “Are you sure about that?”

Pidge sighed. Of course she wasn’t. She hasn’t been sure about anything since she started college, but Keith didn’t need to hear that story. Not when he probably thinks she has the perfect life like everyone else did.

Who was going to believe she had internal struggles anyway? More importantly, who would be willing to listen to her?  
  


* * *

**  
4 years ago - Grandparent’s Residence**

Another time Pidge remembered being in the weather this severe was when she visited her grandparents from her father’s side of the family in Massachusetts a few years ago.

16-year-old Pidge and 19-year-old Matt were in the middle of enjoying dinner with them when Pidge excitedly announced she would be studying database engineering and software development at Altea University. She had been excited to reveal this surprise to her grandparents; anticipating their cheerful reactions and ready to be praised for the brilliant and gifted child she was. She recalled the time they congratulated Matt and applauded his career choice and wanted them to direct the same enthusiasm to her.

Instead, Pidge received a response she didn’t know would become an immense blow to her ego.

“Katerina, sweetie…” Her grandmother started as she lowered the cup of tea from her mouth. “Is that what you should be doing for yourself?”

Pidge’s face faltered a bit as she stared at her confused. “Huh?”

“What she means is…” Her grandfather reached over and placed a hand on Pidge’s shoulder, squeezing it. “There’s got to be a better option for a young lady like you.”

Pidge blinked innocently and glanced at Matt, who shrugged and mirrored her expression.

“Do you mean a more challenging option?” Pidge inquired, feeling herself become uneasy. She sensed the conversation was about to take a turn into a direction she didn’t like and gripped tightly onto the edges of her seat.

“No. I mean something you’re more suited for.”

“I... I don’t understand.”

“Aren’t the two occupations you described dominated by males?”

Upon hearing those words, something ugly inside Pidge snapped. It unraveled a web of self-control she had been containing throughout her life and next thing she knew, she broke and raised hell.

They haven't gone back to Massachusetts ever since.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

Pidge’s sneakers squeaked loudly as she and Keith treaded down the barely lit hallway. She made a face at the weeds growing through the cracks on the floor and groaned when the water inside her shoes oozed through the soles.

“Gross…” she muttered, shifting from one foot to the other.

Keith sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. “Somebody’s a heavy smoker in here.”

“And here I thought I would be able to take a little nap.”

“You were gonna sleep in this place?”

“Not anymore.” Pidge located her room number and inserted the key inside the lock. “I don’t even think I would with the thunder annoyingly booming above us... and from whatever gunshots we might hear in the distance.”

Keith sighed. “Okay, I know this place looks shady—"

“Looks? It _is_ shady. What kind of building inspector passes this place as a dependable environment for people to crash in? They had to have been drunk on the job or worse— _bribed_ to write this dump off as decent. I bet it's crawling with pimps and child molesters.”

Keith furrowed his brows at her sudden spite. “Are you alright?”

Pidge pulled the door open and shot him a heavily guarded glare. “I’m fine. Why are you asking?”

Probably because he’s been noticing these tiny, detailed changes in her behavior since her breakup with Dominique, except this time it was hard to miss. Her abrupt negativity had been sprung out of nowhere and it took Keith by surprise.

“You seem tense,” he answered. “Hey, if you’re worried about the weather—"

Pidge instantly tuned him out and clenched her jaw. _Of course_ he would think the storm would be all she’d be worried about. What other issues could the super smart Katie have?

Keith noticed this and rolled his eyes. Fine, if she wanted to be this way, then he wasn’t going to stop her. Who was he to tell her how she should and shouldn’t act? He wasn’t about to waste his breath to help someone who clearly didn’t want it.

“You stayin’ the night?”

They both turned their heads towards the stranger who spoke across from them. Pidge didn’t bother to hide the repulsion on her face while Keith scowled at the middle-aged man with wispy grey hair and a faded wifebeater standing in front of them.

The man doesn’t even see Keith. Not when his focus was zeroed in on Pidge like she was a fresh piece of meat.

“Only until the storm’s over,” Keith answered and quickly pocketed the key to his own room. No way he was going to let Pidge be alone with this creep nearby.

The man finally noticed Keith and visibly sulked. “It won’t pass for awhile.”

“Then I guess we’ll be making ourselves _comfortable,”_ Pidge snapped and grabbed Keith’s hand, tugging him into the room with her to get away from the man. Being under the pervert’s scrutiny was making her feel uneasy and dirty.

Though not as filthy as this motel room because _yikes—_ was it a total dump!

Pidge wasn’t asking for the place to be immaculate, but has anyone here ever heard of a little TLC treatment?

Keith tossed their stuff on the only chair in the room and they both winced when they saw the cushion sag more than it should.

“I’m almost afraid to know what the bed feels like,” Pidge wondered and reached for her bag to hopefully find some dry clothes. She was thankful to have decided to leave her laptop in the car. If anything happened to it, Keith would have had to deal with her simultaneously bawling her eyes out and cursing all the way until the next century about her precious handmade tech being ruined.

Yeah, the entire drama would have resulted with Keith losing his mind since he’d be on the receiving end of Pidge’s emotional destruction. She’s _that_ attached to her computer. Though, who could blame her when her entire life was on it?

Keith plucked at his shirt with two fingers and Pidge glanced down at the floor to avoid the unintentional tease. She grimaced at the iffy stains.

“I’m going to see if we have hot water for us to shower in.” Keith flicked on the lights and disappeared inside the bathroom.

Pidge flickered her eyes over to his backside for a moment before pressing a hand on her cheek and forcefully turning her head the other way. What the hell was she doing? Where the hell was her self-restraint? Hadn’t she _just_ come out of a relationship? Now was not the time for whatever weird shit is wrong with her to unexpectedly spin out of control.

She can’t afford to make any more mistakes.  
  


* * *

 **  
** **2 years ago - Holt’s Residence**

“It’s your 18th birthday and you’re spending it studying for finals?”

“Correct.” Pidge didn’t raise her head and continued to highlight a few sections in her textbook. She’s going to have to get back to these materials and study them later.

“Why?” Matt entered her room and sat on the edge of the bed. “Don’t you have the whole week for this? You should go out with your friends and me to celebrate.”

“I can’t. I need to get a perfect score on this exam if I want to stay on top of my academic game. Scholarship donors won’t keep writing their checks for me if I started flaking.”

Matt sighed and placed a hand on her knee. “Katie... don’t you think you do too much sometimes?”

“Meaning?” She still wasn’t looking at him.

“Well, you kind of act like an excessive neurotic whenever it comes to stuff like this.”

Pidge knew Matt’s statement wasn’t meant to hurt at all, but it did. It stung because it showed he didn’t understand her and her so-called “neurotic” habits, nor the pressure she was always under.

Then again, it wasn’t like he had anything to prove. He already earned his spot in the family.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

“Guess what I found on the sink.”

Pidge’s eyes widen when she saw what was in Keith’s hand. “A Cabernet?!”

 _“Two_ Cabernets,” Keith corrected and flipped one bottle above his head, catching it effortlessly a second later.

Pidge was mildly impressed at this and whistled. “Flip anybody like that lately?”

“If you count the other bottles at my place, sure,” Keith smirked. “Want to open one?”

“Are you crazy? We don’t know where that’s been!”

“It doesn’t look like it's been opened.” Keith showed her the sealed top on both bottles. “See?”

“Finding two bottles in a dingy motel room doesn’t sound weird at all to you?”

“Not if you don’t think about it.”

“But _I am_ thinking about it. I’m thinking about how some lonesome rich man isn’t satisfied with his wife at home and came here to hook up with a prostitute.”

Keith blinked amusingly at Pidge’s A+ active imagination. “It doesn’t seem like it ever got to that point if the bottles are still here.”

“Maybe they didn’t need the alcohol to get their rocks off.”

“Even better. That means they didn’t bother to open it."

Pidge still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know…”

“So you _do_ drink?” Keith set aside the bottles and crossed his arms. “With what fake ID?”

“I don’t go to bars.” Pidge threw him a soft glare at his lame joke. “Lance or Hunk usually buy the booze and sometimes I go to parties and drink. I think you’ve seen me.”

Keith hummed in response. “Right. I remember now. The last time I saw you was at that spring break bonfire down at that beach you picked me up from.”

Pidge groaned internally as she replayed the events from that awful night in her mind. She hadn’t even planned to be there to begin with, but a confrontation gone wrong between her and her parents led Pidge to that party.

At the time, she had nowhere else to go.  
  


* * *

**  
3 months ago - Pidge’s Apartment**

“Katerina, do you have a moment to spare away from your studies?”

Pidge popped her head up from behind the massive laptop, never taking her eyes off the screen. Her fingers continued to move swiftly over the keyboard as she tapped away. “Sure. Do you need me to come out?”

“Please. Your father and I would like to speak with you.”

“Is everything alright?”

Her mother forced a small smile. “I hope so.”

Pidge slowed down her movements until she processed her mother’s words and came to a complete stop. There was something in the way her mother had said them that Pidge didn’t like. She doesn’t recall ever hearing her mother sound so... worried and upset before. Not even when she learned Pidge elected to attend Altea University over some other choices her father had suggested.

She frowned and turned her head to look at her mother, only to find the doorway already empty. This prompted her to slide off the bed and dash out into the living room with urgency.

She halted at the sight of both her parents sitting rigidly on the couch waiting for her arrival. Pidge’s frown increased more as she walked forward until she reached the reclining chair her father usually sat in. Her tiny digits grasped onto the upright cushion and allowed them to sink in.

“Mom, dad, what’s going on?” Pidge asked and started to examine them closely. They were both uneasy.

Something was definitely wrong.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

“There’s no cups here.”

“What? Did you think a motel would have cups to spare? There’s not even a mini fridge in here.”

“Don’t know. Never crashed in one before.” Keith shrugged. “I thought you were gonna shower?”

“Yeah…” Pidge peeked in the bathroom suspiciously. “But it smells weird.”

“It’s been smelling weird since we got here.”

“Not like _this._ Don’t you smell it?”

“You can’t stay in those wet clothes. You’re going to get sick.”

“Are _you_ gonna jump in the shower?”

“Yes. I’m not crazy enough to catch a cold and I’m not gonna have you coughing up in the same space as me when we get back on the road.”

Pidge snorted. “What are you gonna do? Throw me in there?”

Keith gave her a firm _don’t-test-me_ look. “You know I’m right.”

Pidge sighed. She knew, but she didn’t want to admit it; among many other things.

“Whatever.”  
  


* * *

**  
3 months ago - Pidge’s Apartment (continuation)**

Since the day Pidge was told she was gifted, she has been training her mind to become sharper. To regularly fill it with knowledge and obtain the ability to always solve critical thinking problems, write doctorate leveled papers, and maximize intellectual challenges to see how far she could go without a hitch. It’s what people with her talent are supposed to do. It’s what is  _expected_ of them.

So when her parents tried to counsel her to slow it down and take a break, the advice sounded foreign to her.

When they expressed their concerns about her mental health, Pidge immediately became defensive.

Voices were raised. Accusations were thrown. Tears were shed and eventually, Pidge’s foot was out the door.

She somehow found herself at the private beach where the main spring party event was at, standing by the palm trees and overlooking where everyone was gathered. Among the crowd she spotted Lance, Hunk, and Dominique hanging around the the beer kegs (though not socializing together, she couldn’t help but notice).

As she shifted her eyes further down to the shore, she saw Keith’s familiar figure standing with two other people. She recognized one of them as Shiro and didn’t know who the other one with the neatly braided, white hair was. They were playfully poking Keith’s bare arm as Shiro threw his head back in laughter.

Pidge tucked her ponytail inside her shirt and pulled her hoodie up to conceal her face. She didn’t feel like socializing with anyone and didn’t want to be seen by her friends yet. After turning off her phone, she made her way down to the liquor table so she could feel numb for a little while.

If she would’ve stared at the shore a second longer, she would’ve seen Keith turning around and eyes widening upon seeing her arrival.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

**_Hunk (11:03 PM):_ **  
_I know you are most likely still upset at me and Lance and it’s cool if you still don’t want to talk, but please shoot me or him a text to let us know you’re okay._

 **_Hunk (11:04 PM):_ **  
_Also I’m finding it hard to believe Keith Kogane is with you?? How did that happen?? Is Lance telling the truth or was he eating some weird European mushroom that made him become more bonkers than usual??_

 **_Hunk (11:06 PM):_ **  
_Either way...send us a text. We love you._

 **_Hunk (11:07 PM):_ **  
_I am willing to eat like a vegan for an entire month if you just shoot us a quick message._

 **_Hunk (11:08 PM):_ **  
_Lance said he would too and you know how much he loves meat._

 ** _Hunk (11:10 PM):_**  
_Please..._

\---

Keith watched the messages on Pidge’s phone appear on her notifications as he dried his hair. He glanced over at her sitting cross-legged on a worn out chair by the window, wearing a fresh set of clothes and staring out the glass pane with her chin resting on her palm. He noticed she hasn’t touched the Cabernet bottles since he opened them.

“You could’ve drank without me.”

Pidge shook her head. “Drinking alone is pathetic when I have someone to drink with.”

“Pathetic?”

“I recently got screwed over by a guy whom my best friends knew was trouble. Drinking alone after the break-up would make me look like the perfect picture of misery.”

Keith sighed and picked up Pidge’s phone from the nightstand. That’s not how he saw it and neither should she. “Your phone is getting blown up by the big guy.”

“I figured,” Pidge muttered into her palm. She didn’t bother to turn her head. “I forgot to block his number.”

“You’re still not going to talk to him and Lance?”

“Why do you care?”

“It’s not so much that I care. I had taken you as the type to want to know the answer behind everything,” Keith explained and placed the phone back where it was. “Avoiding confrontations doesn’t seem to suit you.”

“If only.”

Keith furrowed his brows and took a seat on the edge of the bed, wrapping the towel around his neck. “You mean you don’t like to face them?”

Pidge heaved a heavy sigh and picked up the bottle, completely disregarding his question. “Mind if I take the first sip?”

Keith frowned, analyzing her long and hard. He was trying to figure out the reasoning behind her strange behavior because he knew damn well it wasn’t over a broken heart. He can sense it.

It was awhile before he answered. It made him wonder why Pidge waited in the first place.

“Go ahead.”

Right as the thunder boomed and lightning flashed outside, Pidge lifted the bottle to her lips and took a long swing.  
  


* * *

**  
3 months ago - Spring Break Bonfire**

“Keith, are you alright?”

“Huh?” Keith snapped his head back to Shiro and Allura, whom were curiously staring at him. He quickly cleared his throat and crossed his arms, attempting to hide his blush by drinking his water bottle. “It’s nothing.”

“You sure?” Allura asked again with a frown. “You zoned out for a bit.”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind. School and stuff.”

“I don’t think that’s his problem. I’d recognize that look anywhere.” Shiro smirked and scanned the area. “Katie’s here?”

As if the heat on Keith’s cheeks couldn’t have intensified more. “Shut up.”

Allura gasped and excitedly clasped her hands together. “Can I finally meet her?”

“No!” Keith grabbed Allura before she could take a step. “I still... I still haven’t talked to her yet.”

“Shiro,” Allura chastised and glared. “Are you doing _anything_ to speed this romance up? I thought you were good friends with her brother.”

“He’s tried,” Keith said. “It’s just... never worked out.”

“How so?”

Keith sighed dejectedly. “It just hasn’t.”

“You can’t keep stalking her.”

“I’m _not_ stalking her.”

“Not according to Shiro.”

“I never said that,” Shiro denied.

“You told me last week he was watching her during breakfast and not making a single move to get up and say anything!”

“Did you forget the part where I mentioned she was with her _boyfriend?”_

“So there’s a hitch in the matchmaking plan.” Allura waved it off like it was nothing. “Nothing we can’t handle. Right Keith?” No response. “Keith?”

The two blinked at the empty space next to them.

“Where’d he go?”  
  


* * *

  
Keith pushed his way through the crowd and eased his way between bodies, never taking his eyes off the oversized, black sweater Pidge was wearing. He honestly didn’t know what the hell he was doing or even why, but he knew so far he's the only one here who's noticed her presence and needed it to stay that way. He didn’t care for the girls who were catcalling him or the guys who were shouting at him to join a drinking game—Pidge came here alone and she looked visibly upset.

Maybe this could finally be his chance to get to know her like he always wanted to. Maybe this could finally be his gateway to get closer to her. Maybe tonight would finally be the night he'll get to talk to her.

He was merely five steps away from her when—

“Pidge?” Lance suddenly called out from down the other end of the liquor table. “Pidge!”

Pidge scrambled to tug her hoodie down and allowed her hair to fall over shoulders, raising her head to find her best friend.

But it wasn’t Lance she saw first.

She saw Keith’s face for less than two seconds before he snatched a full bottle of Jack and turned around to go back to the shore.

In that short moment, she had perked up on her toes and deflated immediately after.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

Two hours later and the weather started to clear up. Neither Pidge or Keith had bothered to sleep, mainly because a) the room was gross as fuck and b) they kept hearing movements behind the walls. Keith hadn’t wanted to admit it before to further stir up Pidge’s paranoia, but he honestly couldn’t wait to leave the moment they had the chance. He was getting bad vibes all around this place and didn’t want to run into trouble, especially with Pidge around.

Keith gulped the last few drops of Cabernet and stared at Pidge. Or as he’s known her as for the past year and a half—Katie Holt.

It’s crazy how a few days ago he was admiring her from the distance. Now, he could sit in this chair admire her up close without Shiro and Allura teasing him.

Except when he daydreamed about getting close with Pidge, it wasn’t with her like this. Tipsied and miserable. Drinking more than she breathed. Staying quiet more than usual without a computer in front of her.

Keith purposely hid the second bottle in an attempt to make Pidge forget there was another one. Jeez, why did he think it was a good idea to let her drink when she was not in the best of moods? Could he be more of a moron?

“Hey Keith.”

He blinked down at Pidge crouching on the floor. She was making invisible patterns on the dirty carpet with her index finger.

“Do you want to know the truth about me?” She slurred her words, watching him through the corner of her eyes.

Keith nodded once wordlessly. That was all Pidge needed.

“I am…” She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching and unclenching her jaw. “... so far from okay.”

Her broken whisper ached his heart. “Why?”

Pidge exhaled shakingly and ran a trembling hand through her bangs, staring at the ground like she couldn’t believe what she was about to do.

“I don’t know where to begin…”

“Take it from the top,” Keith advised gently, moving in closer and propping his elbows on his thighs. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He wouldn’t dream of it.

“My parents...” Pidge paused, licked her dry lips, and released a puff of air. “My parents and Matt tell me I shouldn’t feel pressured to be this hardworking and diligent in my studies. That everything I do, I don’t always have to give my best in, but honestly, they don’t realize I felt the pressure to be smart the moment the school board told them I was a gifted child. Til’ this day, I still remember the proud look on my parents faces when they heard that. They couldn’t wait to see what I could do as I got older.

“No one seems to comprehend that I’m living in this tiny bubble where I _always_ feel the pressure to live up to the gifted label. They don’t know what it feels like to have standards already set for you before you have a say in it. They don’t know the anxiety I get when everyone expects me to be the winner at every competition. That I’m supposed to _know_ stuff before I even learn it. That I’m supposed to find everything easy to understand even when it’s beyond everyone else’s capability. That I’m supposed to pass every test and _never_ fail.

“I pretend I have everything under control; that I have my life set and act like I know exactly what I’m doing. I get up everyday with false motivation and walk out the door with a list of goals in mind that I don’t even want to do on some days. Truth is, not every problem can be solved with a math equation and if I were to suddenly abandon all my plans, I wouldn’t know what to do next. My whole life I’ve always been so structured, so systematic and I’m just... I’m just _so tired.”_

Keith’s stomach clenched. Pidge sounded so achingly exhausted and it placed a heavy weight inside his chest. It’s almost as if he could feel what she was feeling; that same exact pressure caving in and creating a second-hand burden from the world’s expectations. The expectations that is driving Pidge to the edge, making her hang on reluctantly by a thread.

“I’m so tired of working all the time. I’m so tired of college. I’m so tired of putting up a front with my family and even more tired of lying to the world that Katie Holt is a self-driven, strictly hardworking chick who is always looking ahead. That she never looks back and hated the idea of slowing down because it meant she was wasting time. I just want to stop, toss away the manual of life, and go on an adventure. I want to be free from all of that."

It’s definitely the alcohol taking effect on her behavior, but Keith could tell her emotions were real. Her walls were breaking down and she was finally releasing all her pent up frustrations. She was finally showing the real her—the one who is actually more confused than ordered, drained of energy than overflowing with it. The one who is having difficulty keeping herself in this illusory environment where she had to remain super smart all the time because of something told to her once as a kid.

“I…” Pidge choked, turning away and wiping her eyes from the tears that started to fall. “I want to live in the moment and not have my thoughts be burdened by the future. Is that too much to ask?”

_No._

“Can’t I have some fun for once without worrying about being the best?”

_Yes._

Pidge hiccupped. Her lungs felt constricted and her body felt compressed. “Can I just... be the me I’ve always wanted to be?”

Keith fought the urge to embrace her, because he knew that’s not what she needed right now. He forced himself to stay put and think for a moment; wondering what’s the best thing he could do for her. He wasn’t close enough to her to tell her what to do, but he wasn’t a stranger either to sit there without a word of advice.

He drew in a deep breath and tilted his head back. There wasn’t much he can do, to be honest. He’s only got himself and a backpack full of his necessities. He was due to find a laundromat somewhere on the road to wash his dirty clothes and buy a new pair of boots to replace the current ones ruined from the storm.

So really... what _can_ he offer?

“I’m sorry.”

Keith jerked his head forward. Pidge had resumed her curled up position on the floor and rested her back against the cracked walls. She was gazing up at the sky with dry eyes through the window.

“For what?”

“For dumping my shit on you.” Pidge hiccupped again and slumped back further. “You have your own problems to worry about. With Florida and all.”

“I don’t.”

“Yeah you do.”

Keith scowled. “You sound so sure.”

“Because I’m right.” Pidge sluggishly sat up straight. Oh yeah, she was going to have a hangover ten hours from now. “Come on bro, you were gonna _bike ride_ to Florida carrying only one bag. People only do that when they make an impromptu getaway.”

“You’re stretching your theory pretty far there.” Keith rolled his eyes. “So what? You think I’m running away?”

“Yes! It makes sense.” She cocked her head to the side. “But you don’t seem like the type to runaway.”

“Guess we all got our own dirty secrets,” he muttered.

Pidge hummed and studied him thoughtfully. “So... what’s your damage then?”

“It’s nothing like your sensational, raw monologue if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

She shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

Keith nodded and licked his lips. He ghosted a hand up his thigh until he was sitting up straight, bracing himself for Pidge’s reaction.

“I’m going to Florida to find my birth mother.”

…

…

…

First, Pidge's mouth dropped open.

Second, she scrambled onto her hands and knees.

Third—

“Then what are we still doing here?!”

Keith knitted his eyebrows together. Out of all the responses he had been expecting, _that_ wasn’t one of them.

“What?”

“Dude, you _found_ your birth mother!” Pidge emphasized. “You have to go meet her!”

“Yeah, I know. It’s why I’m out here.” He gave her a skeptical one over. “Are you okay?”

“Absolutely not, but who cares right now—you know where your birth mother is and you have to go meet her ASAP!”

Keith’s entire stance deflated. He hated how easily she dismissed her emotional crisis.

“Okay, since it’s out in the open, I’m dying to know some details, starting with how you foundher. Did you track her down on the internet or did you hire a private investigator? Was it hard? Do you have a way to prove you’re her birth son? Does Shiro know? Shit, wait— _that’s_ why you wanted to travel on bike. He doesn’t know you ran away! What about his parents? Do they know about—"

“Katie,” Keith interrupted. “Please—stop and listen to me for a minute.”

Pidge immediately clamped her mouth shut and blinked up at Keith curiously. She even simmered down a bit and waited for him to speak.

“Going back to you... you mentioned before that you wanted to go on an adventure. That you wanted to relieve yourself from all the pressure and not worry about anything. How you want to find yourself, live your life, and be free.” Keith stood on his feet, stepped in front of Pidge, and extended out his hand. “Let’s go on that adventure.”

_Huh?_

Pidge’s brain must’ve short-circuited at some point while drinking the Cabernet because there was no fucking way Keith Kogane was... was…

“Wh-What?”

“Let’s go on an adventure,” Keith repeated. “Me and you. You and me. Let’s get in your car and just drive somewhere.”

She teared her eyes away from his hand and gazed up at him. “What... What about your plans though? To meet your birth mother in Florida?”

“That can wait.” Keith took a knee, hand still out waiting for hers to take. He could hear his heart pounding against his chest and the blood rushing through his ears. “I’ve decided my time right now is with you. We only have two and a half months before fall classes begin and I don’t think you want to waste another second of this summer doing nothing.” He smiled tenderly. “I know I’m dying for a change in my life. What better way to do it than to start with you?”

Pidge's heart stopped.

Her eyes widen and her mouth parted. Her lips trembled and her breath paused. Her hands tightened into fists and her heart raced as she repeated Keith’s words inside her head.

_“I know I’m dying for a change in my life. What better way to do it than to start with you?”_

He said "with you."

With you.

With...  _her._

A single tear drop made its way down Pidge’s face and landed on her lap with a loud thump. After that, the dam broke and she finally allowed herself to cry freely.

Throughout her mini breakdown Keith kept smiling. He kept his hand up—never wavering—and waited patiently for her to make a decision.

“I... I…”

Even after Keith’s touching speech, Pidge was still at loss at what to say. Her mind was going a thousand miles per second and flipping through the events between them from the past couple days. She kept the images going up until this very moment and noticed Keith was genuinely looking at her with—is that hope shimmering in his eyes?

“So what do you say?” He asked. “Will you let me go on this road trip adventure with you?”

While drawing in a shaking breath with the most brightest smile Keith has ever seen, Pidge sniffled and lifted her hand to grab his.

“Yes,” she whispered. _“Yes.”_

Keith grinned wider and closed his fingers tight around hers. "We can go anywhere."

She squeezed back and nodded. "Anywhere..."

Neither of them know what to expect down the road, but with her hand squeezed into his brings a silent promise of a journey they will always remember and never forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _-jams to no promises on repeat because it's the only reason why this story exists-_


	7. Making Amends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey Katie—it’s Shiro. I know we’ve only spoken to each other in passing but Matt said you’d be the perfect person to reach to for something I’m about to beg you to do…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SOOOOOO blown away by the reactions I've received last chapter and it makes me so damn happy!!! You guys are the best and I love each and every one of you. All of your comments give me life and I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story!! ♡
> 
> Beta'd by: [Addie](http://clo--uds.tumblr.com/) ♥

_“The number you are trying to reach does not answer. Please hang up now and try your call again later.”_

Hearing the automated voice message system for the tenth time had Shiro breathing out a frustrated sigh. He brought his hand up to the pinch the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would ease the stressful headache. He dropped his other forearm on the counter with little grace and allowed the phone to clatter across the surface until it hit Allura.

She stared worriedly at Shiro and reached over to tuck a piece of his hair behind his ears; a light attempt to soothe him.

“Still nothing?” She questioned, even though she knew the answer.

“No,” Shiro replied anyway and rubbed his forehead irritably. “Looks like I’m going to have to take drastic measures.”

“Getting someone to track Keith’s phone is not drastic when you’re this concerned.”

“I should’ve never acted the way I did when he told me he wanted to meet his birth mother.” Shiro sighed again as his other hand joined to cover his face. “He ran away because I refused to tell him the truth.”

“You were only trying to protect him.”

“Keith hates that. He hates anyone who wants to protect him.”

“You know he was going to find out one way or another.”

“I know. I just…” Shiro despondently glanced over at the picture frame hanging on the wall of him and Keith when they were younger; smiling and laughing at the camera. “I wish I could’ve told him sooner.”

“He still would’ve wanted to meet her. You know that.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He slipped off the stool and went around the counter to grab a mug from the cabinet. “I’m not sure at this point. I thought I knew him like the back of my hand, but I’ve never seen him blow up like that before...” He gripped the edges of the tabletop and casted his eyes downward, scrunching his brows until the lines on his forehead became visible. “I need to talk to him. At least before he meets her.”

“Are you certain he didn’t go somewhere else to get away for a bit?” Allura came beside him and rubbed his back. “Are you certain he's on his way to Florida right now to see his mother?”

“Only one way to find out.” Shiro scrolled through his contact list until he found who he was looking for.

Allura gawked at the familiar name shown on the screen. “When did you—”

“Remember that time you reprimanded me for not speeding up the romance?” Shiro allowed a small smirk to make its way to his lips. “Told Matt about it and he’s actually psyched about the matchmaking plan.”

“Really?! What about Dominique?”

Shiro gave her a puzzled look. “You’re still thinking about morals even after what he did to you?”

“I could care less about that when it comes to him, but are we sure he’s still playing the same game with Katie?”

“Even if he isn’t, Matt doesn’t trust him. Neither do I, and I’m positive Keith still wants to push him off the edge of a cliff after he played you. Not gonna lie, I still want to as well.”

“He didn’t get away with anything other than a few dates,” Allura reminded him and waved it off. “Not even a kiss. Plus, I took care of him myself. No need to create further damages.”

“... you do know Keith is the reason why Dominique had a black eye for a week, right?”

“Oh?” Allura hummed and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well that explains a lot... I don’t remember landing a blow on his face.”

Shiro shook his head and pressed the phone against his ear once it started ringing. Allura leaned in close to listen in on the conversation better.

“I can’t wait to hear what she sounds like,” Allura giggled. “I’ve always wondered what kind of person Keith would fancy and all the details just excite me! She’s got to be unique for him to notice her.”

Shiro nodded. “I only know bits and pieces about Katie but from what I’ve learned so far, she sounds exactly like someone whom I pictured Keith falling for.”

_“It’s Katie! I can’t come to the phone so here comes the beep—you know what to do. I hope.”_

Allura squealed as Shiro ended the call. “She sounds so adorable!”

“You find amusement in the strangest places…”

“Call her again so I can listen!”

“I will. I’m gonna leave a message.” Shiro pressed the green button and waited patiently for Pidge’s voicemail to end. He stared at the same picture on the wall again and his shoulders dropped. He wanted Keith to come back home.

_Beeeeeeeep._

“Hey Katie—it’s Shiro. I know we’ve only spoken to each other in passing but Matt said you’d be the perfect person to reach to for something I’m about to beg you to do…”  


* * *

  
Pidge woke up with the sunlight gleaming way too bright for her eyes to handle and a hangover throbbing inside her temples. Granted it wasn’t as terrible like some of the ones she’s had before, but it was bad enough to make her become sensitive to the light and wishing she hadn’t drank past her limit last night.

Yeah. She regretted it as much as she regretted vomiting all of her pent up frustrations and emotions on the table.

Especially in front Keith.

She groaned and winced, moving a hand like a drugged sloth over her eyes to shield it from the piercing sun rays.

“You awake?”

Pidge released an agonizing moan in the back of her throat and rolled her head until she was faced down and nuzzling against a soft cushion.

Soft cushion?! Wait a second...

Pidge abruptly paused, lifted her head to scan her surroundings and realized she had been sleeping in the backseat of her car and not on a dirty bed inside a rundown motel room (to her relief). She elevated herself on her elbows, blinking several times in question at the unfamiliar pillow underneath her head and down at the blanket covering her body.

“Dammit,” she hissed as another throb surfaced, gripping her head and laying back down.

From the driver’s seat, Keith handed her a water bottle.

“Drink this. I also bought some medicine for your headache. It should help with the hangover.”

“Did I really drink _that_ much last night?”

“You tell me. How bad is your head?”

“Could be better…” Pidge muttered and carefully sat up. She looked out the windows and raised her brow at the familiar setting.

“Where are we?”

“At the first service plaza we stopped at.”

“You drove all the way back?! Agh!” She winced again and cringed. Bad idea to yell. _“Fuck.”_

Keith chuckled amusingly and sank back in his seat. “Well it’s not like we picked our first destination to go to yet. Plus I knew that hangover would be coming and you would’ve needed painkillers for it. Also, I’m not sure how to use this GPS you made so… yeah.”

“What time is it?”

“6.”

“In the evening?!” Pidge’s eyes bugged at the digital clock on the dashboard. “Keith!”

“What? What?” He asked and turned around, becoming alarmed at the outburst. Did he do something wrong?

“You’ve been _driving_ this whole time?”

“I slept for a couple hours.”

“When the hell—” Pidge suddenly paused, leaned back, and stared aimlessly at the space in front of her.

“What?” Keith prompted again.

“I don’t remember leaving the motel last night... or morning... what exactly happened?”

“Uhm…” Something flashed across Keith’s face Pidge couldn’t identify. Disappointment? Apprehension? “How much do you remember?”

Pidge’s eyes wandered down until they fell on one of Keith’s hand resting on the front seat’s armrest. Her face burned when she instantly recalled the intimate moment they shared from last night.

He hadn’t been wearing gloves, which allowed her to feel the entire palm of uninterrupted, partially calloused skin. When his fingers curled around hers, she had felt the sharp and strong edges of his digits lacing through her smaller, dainty ones and shuddered remembering how amazing the texture was. She became flustered admitting this to herself, but holding Keith’s hand for that brief period of time with his smile shining brighter than anything she has ever seen in her life, had left her disappearing into infinity.

To answer Keith’s question, how could she ever forget?

“I-I remember.” Pidge blushed and tentatively scratched her neck. “Sorry for—”

“It’s cool,” Keith interrupted. “Really. No need to apologize.”

The reassurance didn’t stop Pidge from wallowing silently in embarrassment. In the back of her mind, she cursed at herself for unloading all her emotional baggage on Keith. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Hey.”

Pidge looked up and was surprised to see Keith smirking at her.

“How about we go wash up in the bathrooms, get some breakfast, and start heading out on the road? I don’t know about you, but I’m itching to start our adventure.”

Pidge stared at him. And stared. And stared. And stared—

“Ouch!” Keith recoiled at the pinch he received on his forearm. “What the hell?”

Pidge pouted with a pretty pink blush dusting her cheeks as she drank more water. A single person shouldn’t be this insanely attractive. It was completely unfair. Maybe this was a sick twisted game of fate evolved from karma. Who knows, but Pidge doesn’t want to get caught drooling over Keith during her time with him and needed to figure out a way to... not do that.

This will be fun.  


* * *

  
Pidge violently staggered a few steps back the moment she saw her reflection in the mirror. She released a strange noise in the back of her throat as her bugged eyes trailed down her awful appearance.

She looked _fucked_ up.

Worst of all, Keith saw her like this.

Pidge patted down her wild hairs in an attempt to subdue them back in place and ease her mini panic attack. Her hand grazed over her greasy forehead and she watched with horror as the disgusting shine transferred all over her palm. She hurriedly grabbed some paper towels nearby, leaned forward over the sink to wipe away her facial oils and noticed a visible dry line of drool going down her chin.

She is now convinced karma is doing its job and believed it had something to do with the time she lit her counselor’s hat on fire during summer camp.

Pidge frowned and rested her forehead on the mirror, which surprisingly felt good against her skin.

She remained like that for a minute before standing back up straight and checked to see if the handicapped stall was available. She was glad to find it vacant and went in to start making herself look more presentable.

Half an hour later and Pidge came out with a fresh new glow. She had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, face now shine-free, bags under her eyes were gone, and was dressed in a clean pair of jeggings and a lightweight sweater. As simple as the outfit was, she felt pretty damn amazing.

On top of that, she discovered it was very possible to wash your hair in the sink and clean your body with towelettes. She’ll have to thank Lance for throwing that inside the bag for her and Hunk for slipping in travel-sized toiletries since he usually had extra packages lying around.

The tiny skip in her steps faltered when she thought about her friends. A sad smile ghosted her lips, wondering if they were having a fantastic time overseas and speculated what kind of crazy adventures have happened to them so far.

“Katie?”

Pidge hadn’t realized she stopped at the entryway and blinked up to see Keith approaching her. He too had cleaned up well, even though it didn’t look like he needed to in the first place.

“You spaced. Everything cool?” Keith asked.

“Still have a headache.” It wasn’t a total lie. “Had to take it slow in there.”

“Let’s grab something to eat.” He suggested in a gentle tone that brought an invisible layer of warmth over Pidge’s skin. “It’ll help.”

She nodded and they both headed over to the service plaza’s buzzing cafeteria. She felt some tension leave her shoulders when Keith planted his hand on the small of her back.

It was crazy how a simple touch could make her feel completely at ease.  
  


* * *

  
“I’m going to go brush my teeth.” Keith rummaged through his bag and pull out a toothbrush and toothpaste. “I’ll be quick.”

“Take your time. There’s no rush.” Pidge scoured the backseat for her phone and to her relief, found it wedged between the seats. For a moment there she had thought she might’ve left it back at that dingy motel and scrunched her nose when she remembered the encounter with the creepy man.

“Three minutes tops,” he said anyway. “Be right back.”

Pidge nodded and watched Keith jog towards the men’s restrooms before checking her phone. She was amazed to still see a good amount of battery life remaining on the device and raised her brows questionably at the unknown number showing up on her notification screen. Details showed whoever it was called her twice and left one voicemail.

She ignored the ache in her heart at Hunk’s familiar Skype number underneath and rolled her eyes at the latest thumbnail message sent from Matt of him sending a ridiculous selfie captioned with an awful joke. She texted him back saying he was a dork and received an immediate response back.

\---

 **_Matt (8:48 PM):_ **  
_Check your phone to see if you have any missed calls from a new number. I have a friend who needs your savvy tech skills._

\---

Pidge knitted her eyebrows together.

\---

 **_Katie (8:49 PM):_ **  
_Why can’t they ask you?_

 **_Matt (8:49 PM):_ **  
_Because hacking is not my forte and you specialize in it._

 **_Katie (8:50 PM):_ **  
_What do I get out of it?_

 **_Matt (8:50 PM):_ **  
_Name your price after you find out what needs to be done._

 **_Katie (8:50 PM):_ **  
_You being vaguely mysterious is irritating me…_

 **_Matt (8:51 PM):_ **  
_I knew it would lmao now hurry up so we can negotiate!_

\---

Pidge huffed indignantly and checked her voicemails. She tapped on the latest one and brought it up to her ear to listen, frowning at the thought of Matt not even caring to ask how she was doing on the road. The nerve...

_“Hey Katie—it’s Shiro. I know we’ve only spoken to each other in passing but Matt said you’d be the perfect person to reach to for something I’m about to beg you to do…”_

Pidge stared wide eyed at the phone; looking at it as if it suddenly grew arms and legs. Why was _Shiro_ of all people calling her?

_“Keith’s missing and I need you to track down his phone to find his location.”_

Oh.

Oh shit.

_“If you need more details, you can call me back on this number. If you happen to have time on your hands before that, here is Keith’s number and the phone carrier he uses—"_

“Why do you look like you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing?”

Pidge squawked and leaped a full feet into the air. She spun around on her heels to see Keith raising a brow and skeptically scrutinizing her. She was frozen still; with the phone pressed hard against her ear and mouth slightly ajar.

What the hell does she do?

When Pidge didn’t say anything, Keith stepped forward defensively and glared at her phone.

“Is it Dominique?”

“N-No,” she stuttered and lowered the phone, locking the screen. “I’ve blocked him. No way he could leave me a voicemail.”

“Oh.” Keith appeared subdued and relaxed his muscles. “Then, who was it?” He asked curiously.

For a moment, Pidge wanted to lie and say it was no one important, or at least make up a story about something happening to one of her distant relatives. She knew Keith had gone off on his own and was determine to reunite with his birth mother, thus not wanting to hinder his chances. More than anything, she wanted to help him get there.

She shuffled her feet and opened her mouth; fully prepared to deliver a lie to quickly get back on the road until...

Until she raised her head to see Keith and could only imagine Shiro’s worried face; replaying his concerned voice in her mind and having guilt seized her subconscious.

Pidge’s entire posture slacked as she ultimately decided she couldn’t lie. Not to Shiro. Not to herself. Not to Keith.

“Katie?” Keith prompted again. “Is everything alright?”

“Uhm, for me, yes. For Shiro…” Pidge lifted her head again to meet his gaze. “Not so much.”

Keith frowned. “What?”

Instead of explaining in her own words, Pidge played the voicemail on speaker.

_“Hey Katie—it’s Shiro. I know we’ve only spoken to each other in passing but Matt said you’d be the perfect person to reach to for something I’m about to beg you to do. Keith’s missing and I need you to track down his phone to find his location.”_

Keith said nothing. Hell, he wasn’t even phased by Shiro’s distraught tone. His face was... blank.

Pidge remained quiet for a few more moments, tilting her head to the side and simply studying him. She got the sense Keith had ran away on a sour note with Shiro and felt obligated to help them repair the damages that were done. She had a feeling Keith would enjoy their adventure on the road way more if he at least talked to Shiro and let the poor man know Keith wasn’t dying alone in a ditch somewhere.

“Keith,” she whispered, voice tight but oddly sympathetic enough. “Call him.”

“I’m not going back,” he snapped.

“I didn’t say you had to.”

Keith sighed and turned around to walk back to the car. “Not happening.”

“Then I guess we’re stuck here.”

He whirled back around. “Excuse me?”

Pidge dangled the car keys above her head and twirled it around her forefinger. “I’m not letting us go anywhere until you talk to Shiro.”

“Looks like I’m traveling to Florida on foot after all.”

“Suit yourself.” Pidge shrugged. Two can play at this game. “Guess I’m staying in this random spot in the middle of the lot until you pick up the phone and call Shiro.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t…”

To prove him wrong, Pidge suddenly plopped down on the ground and crossed her legs nonchalantly.

“Are you crazy?!” Keith yelled and frantically searched for any incoming vehicles. “Get up before someone turns the corner and runs you over because they didn’t see you!”

“Call Shiro and I’ll move.”

“This is stupid. You’re putting your life on the line so I can pick up the phone and talk to him?”

“Good boy. You understand the bargain. Now comply.”

“I’m going to pick you up and throw you in the car.”

“I’ll make a scene. I’ll scream,” she threatened back.

Keith gritted his teeth. His eyebrow twitched. “Why are you so _difficult?”_

“I’m not. _You_ are.”

He released a growl and clutched his head frustratingly. “Are you really pulling this nonsense?”

“It’s not nonsense when your family is worried about you.”

“It’s none of your business why I don’t want to talk to him.”

“Something to do with your birth mother,” Pidge answered casually. “Am I right?”

Keith didn’t say anything and pressed his lips in a tight line. He crossed his arms glared at the ground.

The silence was enough confirmation for Pidge to know she was right.

“Keith,” she said his name softly. “Call him. He might even be willing to explain why he did whatever he did.”

“Do you even know?”

“Nope but I can guess it has something to do with hiding your birth mother from you for awhile?”

“And you think that’s okay?” Keith seethed. “If he knew then why didn’t he ever tell me?”

“Sounds like a great question to ask when you call him.” Pidge stretched out her legs and crossed her ankles; sitting back on her hands. “So how about picking up your phone and dialing Shiro’s number?”

“I’m serious about throwing you in the car.”

“I’m serious about making a scene.”

“Why do you want me to do this so bad?” Keith questioned. “I didn’t strike you as the nosy type.”

“I also didn’t strike you as the type to be petty over the small things, yet here we are.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t.” Pidge shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I don’t think your behavior is invalid.”

“So get off the ground and let’s go.”

“You really think you can have fun with Shiro being worried about you? How do you think he’ll feel if he doesn’t hear from you for a couple more days? I wouldn’t put it past him to get the authorities involved.”

“You’re one to talk about making amends…”

“What the hell does that mean?”

Keith crouched down and craned his neck lower until they were eye-leveled. Their was a steel challenged glint in his eyes. “When was the last time you spoke to your friends?”

Pidge stiffened and pointedly looked away; absentmindedly picking up a small pebble underneath her and rolling it between her fingers.

“That’s what I thought.”

“It’s different.”

“Or it can be the same from the way I see it.” Keith stood back up and crossed his arms. “How about this—I’ll call Shiro and let him know I’m alive and you can hit up your friends and say you forgive them.”

“No. Way.” Pidge scrambled to her feet and jabbed her index finger against his chest. “That is _far_ from the same thing.”

“You really think you can have fun on the road while still being upset with your friends?”

“How about you with Shiro?”

“I asked you first.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Thirty seconds later...

“I hate you,” Pidge muttered.

Keith rolled his eyes. “You’ll thank me later.”

“As will you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He grabbed her arm and took her away from the middle of the lot. “Pick up the phone and start dialing.”

Pidge grumbled curses under her teeth, got inside her car, and proceeded to unblock Lance and Hunk from her call list.

How dare he use her own words against her?  


* * *

  
Pidge estimated Lance was about nine hours ahead in time zones, while Hunk was nine hours behind. She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and prayed that a) Lance was ridiculously up early and b) Hunk didn’t decide to sleep in today. Either way, she was going to blow up their phones until they both answered. If she was going to do this then she needed them both on the line.

She glimpsed out the window and saw Keith pacing back and forth in the empty parking space beside them. His mouth was moving and he still looked pissed, but at least he was talking to Shiro. Even if they might be arguing now.

Pidge sighed and dropped her head back, shooting an _SOS_ text to Lance and Hunk. It was their code signal to call each other back ASAP no matter if the sky was falling or if the city was on fire. They only used it for emergencies, but Pidge figured she could get a pass for it this one time.

She was mentally preparing herself for this talk when her phone started buzzing like crazy less than a minute later. She blinked twice at the screen, finding it hard to believe at how quick they were to respond back to her _SOS._

Well, here it goes.

She raised the phone up to the appropriate camera height and answered the Skype call. As soon as her friend’s faces displayed on the split screens, Pidge didn’t realize how much she needed this until now.

“Lance, Hunk,” she greeted in a low tone. “Hi.”

Lance was clutching to his pillow like a lifeline while Hunk was trembling in his chair. They both looked apprehensive; like any moment Pidge was going to come through the screen and maul their asses. Two days ago she might’ve in a heartbeat, but now…

There was a slight pause before Lance broke the silence.

_“Are you ever going to speak to us again?”_

Pidge’s heart melted at the terror in his voice.

“I’m talking to you dinguses now, right?” She studied their appearance and noticed Hunk had dark shadows under his eyes. “Hunk, have you been getting any sleep?”

_“... not really.”_

“Heh, preparing for a wedding is a lot of work, right?”

_“Well, that and I feel really guilty about, you know... everything.”_

Oh man. It really sounded like they’ve been beating themselves up over their mistake. It almost made Pidge want to forgive them for what they did.

_Almost._

_“I thought you’d hate us,”_ Lance said. _“I mean, we don’t blame you.”_

“I could never hate you two,” Pidge assured and exhaled through her mouth. “But I’m still mad. You guys did hurt me.”

They both ducked their heads in shame.

“But,” she continued, “I don’t think I could drive around the country with a clear conscious if I don’t at least have this talk before I go.”

If Lance and Hunk were in front of her, Pidge would have leaped on them for a group hug. Or they would’ve leaped on her. Either way, it would’ve been a bear-crushing embrace from all parties.

Right now, all three have settled to grin affectionately at one another.

 _“Wait, drive around the country?”_ Hunk suddenly asked. _“I thought driving to Florida only takes three days. Wait, shouldn’t you already be there?”_

Pidge bit the inside her lip as her eyes darted around the interior of her car. “Well... see about that…”

 _“Change of plans?”_ Lance teased.

Hunk narrowed his eyes suspiciously at both of them. _“Okay, what do you two know that I don’t? It is so not cool to keep me out of the loop.”_

Pidge covered her face with her palm and groaned. She can already imagine the jokes and mockery being thrown her way once she explained why Keith was with her.

It’s only been a brief period of time since she had last spoken to Lance and Hunk, but Pidge has missed her boys so much with all the unexpected shenanigans that occurred the past few days. More than she’d like to admit.

She was glad Keith made her do this.

“Alright,fine," she said. "I’ll tell you guys the whole story…”

She may not have forgiven them completely for keeping Dominique’s true intentions a secret, but at least they were beginning to move past this. Hopefully, this lesson will show them to always be honest with one another and bring their friendship closer than ever.  


* * *

  
Allura had just came back from picking up takeout dinner when she heard Shiro telling someone goodbye over the phone. She toed off her heels and walked straight into the kitchen, dropping the plastic bags on the counter.

“Did you finally manage to get a hold of Katie?” She asked, sounding hopeful.

Shiro swiveled around in his stool and shook his head. “That wasn’t Katie. It was Keith.”

 _“Keith?”_ Allura gasped and stepped up next to him, slamming her hands on the tabletop. “Well, where the bloody hell is he?! He has us getting worried sick over him. Even Coran was about to round up a search party!”

Instead of agreeing with her and spilling Keith’s location, Shiro’s mouth broke into a grin. Allura raised an eyebrow and briefly entertained the thought of smacking him upside the head to ensure his sanity was still intact. What the hell could he be smiling about?

“I don’t think our help is needed to speed up the romance.”

“Romance? What romance? What’s going on?”

“You’ll never guess who is with him.” Shiro lifted up his phone to display the picture shown on the screen sent by Keith. He watched Allura’s expression with amusement as it went from annoyed, to confusion, to realization, and then—

“What?!” She shrieked and bounced excitedly, seizing his shoulders and shaking him. “Shiro, tell me _everything.”_

“You’ll want to sit down for this one.” He spared one last glance at the picture of Katie sitting inside her car and chuckled. “You won’t believe how they somehow ended up where they are now.”  
  


* * *

 **_  
Hunk (10:32 PM)  
_** _Did you know this whole time?!_

 ** _Lance (10:33 PM):_**  
_I knew she was with Keith but I had no idea she ran over his bike and is now gonna be dora and diego the explorers across the country I mean wth_

 **_Hunk (10:34 PM):_ **  
_... it actually sounds romantic if you ask me_

 **_Lance (10:34 PM):_ **  
_Pidge and Keith being romantic??? Together???_

 **_Hunk (10:35 PM):_ **  
_Do you think she’s had a thing for him for awhile? I can’t think of another reason why she agreed to this._

 **_Lance (10:36 PM):_ **  
_I’m thinking the exact same thing with Keith but I don’t remember him ever mentioning Pidge to me_

 **_Hunk (10:37 PM):_ **  
_Well... I think you made that kinda hard to do, don’t you think?_

 **_Lance (10:38 PM):_ **  
_I HAVE thought about that and I feel bad. Damn, I must’ve made it really hard for either of them to pursue each other…_

 **_Hunk (10:39 PM):_ **  
_Nothing you can do about it now except support Katie. You know Keith better than me. Do you trust him?_

 **_Lance (10:40 PM):_ **  
_I trust him a hell of a lot more than the other asshole._

 **_Hunk (10:40 PM):_ **  
_That’s a given._

 **_Lance (10:41 PM):_ **  
_No but... Keith is a decent guy. I may have issues with him but he’s OKAY I guess_

 **_Hunk (10:42 PM):_ **  
_Lmao ok. I believe you. I miss you <3 _

**_Lance (10:42 PM):_ **  
_Miss you more big guy <33 _  


* * *

  
“How was it talking to Shiro?” Pidge asked as soon as Keith got in the passenger side of the vehicle.

“I haven’t forgiven him if that’s what you mean.” He reached under the seat to adjust it and clipped the seat belt on.

“Did he at least tell you why he kept your birth mother a secret?”

“He did.” Keith stretched out his arms above him. “It still doesn’t change my mind to visit her.”

Pidge frowned. “It’s that bad?”

“Not like I wasn’t expecting it to be,” Keith admitted. “I don’t think there’s ever a good enough explanation as to why a mother doesn’t want to reach out to her only son when she knew all this time where he’s been.”

He uttered the words with no hint of ache or malice, but it didn’t stop Pidge from giving him a sympathetic stare.

“Keith…”

“It’s fine. I’m fine, honestly.” He patted her outstretched arm, where she was about to reach out and touch him. “Honestly,” he finished with emphasis.

Instead of pulling away, Pidge glided her hand down his arm until she found his. Keith’s eyes widened at this, but he was more surprised watching her smirk at him.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Since we washed up in the bathrooms and had some breakfast, how about we start getting on the road?” She squeezed his hand. “I don’t know about you but I’m definitely ready for our adventure.”

Keith couldn’t fight off the dazzling smile on his face if he tried. He squeezed her hand back and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how many chapters it's going to take for them to have their first kiss.


	8. Lone Ranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks to the first time Pidge noticed Keith, the first time she find out who he was, and the time she realized getting to know him was a faraway dream.

**PRESENT**

“Remind me again why you picked up a map?”

“Because…” Keith dragged out the last syllable with tremendous annoyance. “Your GPS is not going to work everywhere we go.”

“Yeah it will,” Pidge argued with confidence.

“No, it won’t.”

“Yes, it will.”

“It won’t.”

“It will.”

“No.”

_“Yes.”_

_“No.”_

“Where the hell do you think we’re going to go?” Pidge threw her hands up and dropped the navigation paper on her lap. “It’s not like we’re going to drive out the country and into Mexico! Or go to the middle of nowhere—I hope.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “You’re not planning to, right?”

Keith rolled his eyes. He didn’t bother answering.

“We really messed up on our sleeping schedule,” she said, observing the moving darkness outside the passenger window. “It’s four am and I’m wide awake. I’m going to feel like knocking out in a few hours.”

“There’s a simple solution to that.”

“And that is?”

“To not fall asleep.”

Pidge stared deadpanned. “That won’t work for me.”

“Why? Need your beauty rest?” Keith teased.

“I don’t think I’ll have enough energy to be walking through Astoria when I’ve been awake already for eight hours.”

“I thought we were gonna go hiking at Multnomah Falls first?”

Pidge groaned and sagged in her seat. “You’re trying to kill me.”

“A little bit of exploring nature doesn’t hurt anyone. Plus, we made a deal.” Keith reached across the dashboard and held up a mini notepad. There was some text scribbled on the page, followed by two distinctive signatures at the bottom. “We also signed it.”

Pidge pouted and took the notepad from him, glancing over the agreement they made earlier.

To get the most experience out of this impromptu adventure, the two decided to compile a list of all the places they wanted to visit. To make it fair and keep it under a certain budget, they each had to pick only one stop for each state to travel to.

Their first stop was Oregon—home of the deepest lake in the country and largest log cabin in the world. Not that either of them cared, though.

What Pidge does care about was being forced to deal with outdoor nuisances. Things such as the sun, mosquitos, and muggy dirt are not factors she was looking forward to.

Then again, if she was going to drag Keith to an environment filled with people, she supposed she could tough it out for him with Mother Nature.

“By the way, what did you tell your mom?” Keith asked. “Did you explain everything to her?”

“Uhm, yes and no,” Pidge answered. “I kinda lied to her.”

“Meaning?”

“I told her I broke up with Dominique and I’m on the road with a friend.”

“Let me guess... you left out the part that it was me?”

“Bingo.” She sighed. “I don’t like lying to her, but if she knew, she’d demand me to come straight home. Oh, and she would chew my ass out for running over your bike and not paying attention to the road.”

Keith hummed in response. “And she believed you just like that?”

“Yupp. I got Matt covering for me.”

“Huh?” His eyes widened. “He knows I’m with you?!”

“Uh, yeah?” Pidge raised a brow at Keith’s strange outburst. “Shiro told him. Are you okay?”

Keith had his arm propped on the window sill with a hand covering his mouth. He was gripping his jaw tight and—was that a blush on his face?

Pidge’s brows furrowed deeper. “Do you have an issue with my brother?”

“It’s not that. I...” Keith sighed. “Never mind. I’m just overreacting.”

“He trusts you with me if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Oh Keith knew that. What he also knew is that Matt, Shiro, and Allura are all most likely gossiping about his crush on Pidge back home. Allura being the worst among them.

Unbeknownst to him, Pidge is also quietly suffering from the same exact problem. With her explaining to Lance and Hunk everything that happened between her and Keith, there was no way she could’ve kept her infatuation a secret any longer. As soon as they knew, there has been a relentless onslaught of _suggestive_ text messages.

\---

**GROUP CHAT**

**_Lance (1:42 AM):_ ** _  
_ _I give it a week before the clothes start coming off._

 **_Hunk (1:44 AM):  
_ ** _Come on man be realistic. I think a month._

 **_Pidge (1:45 AM):  
_ ** _I hate you both so much._

\---

When it comes down to it though, Pidge is sincerely glad this became the outcome of her crush reveal. She’d be lying if she said a part of her hadn’t been afraid of Lance getting upset at her.

She smirked to herself and glanced over at Keith. Maybe Lance didn’t hate his rival as much as he claimed he did.  


* * *

  
“Bed!”

Keith could only stare in amusement as Pidge sprinted inside the hotel room and leaped onto the mattress. He watched her body bounce several times in the air and snuggled up against a pillow with a contented smile on her face.

“I love beds," she muttered.

“I’ve noticed.” Keith hauled her luggage over to the couch and closed the door. “But you can’t sleep for long. We’re on a time limit.”

Pidge whined and buried her face deeper.

“You should eat something before taking a nap.”

“You say this when I lay down,” she muffled. “I’m too lazy to get up. I’ll sleep hungry.”

“Well I can’t, so I’ll go find us something to eat.” Keith patted his pockets to ensure his wallet was still in there. “Anything you want in particular?”

“Whatever you can find is fine by me.”

“Alright. What’s your number?”

“My... My number?” Pidge raised her head and gave him a puzzled look.

“Uh, yeah?” Keith responded with the same amount of confusion. He showed his cell phone and pointed at the blank contact screen. “In case I need to call you?”

Oh _...Oh._

“Right. _Right.”_ Pidge blushed and fumbled to take out her phone from her pocket. “It’s…”

After they exchanged numbers, Keith promised her he wouldn’t take too long and left. He double checked to make sure the door was locked and walked away.

Pidge waited a full minute before she shoved her face back into the pillow and squeezed it like it was her lifeline. Her fingers twisted in the fabric of the mattress and she did her damndest not to scream at the thought of Keith getting her number and vice versa. Even in her temporary privacy, that was something she _absolutely_ will not do.

After forcefully killing her inner schoolgirl enthusiasm, Pidge flipped over on her back with the pillow still in her grasp. She stared thoughtfully at the ceiling, reminiscing the first time Keith entered her life.

She had never believed in instant attraction upon first sight, but she undeniably believed it had happened with him.  


* * *

**  
1 year ago**

Hardly anyone came into the campus’s local café on Saturday evenings, which is part of the reason why Pidge loved coming here to work. A little bit of background noise, great herbal tea, cushioned seats, and delicious caffeinated scents helped her concentrate better. The peaceful environment was exactly what she needed.

It was also the perfect excuse to leave her lonely apartment. The few times she ever did.

A steep frown tugged Pidge’s lips as she leaned in closer to her laptop. Everyone else was either getting ready to go to a frat house party tonight, heading over to the city’s seasonal carnival, or going downtown to bar hop. While none of those options appealed much to her, it didn’t stop the twinge of jealousy from rising within.

Pidge was beginning to realize how much she missed being around other people; specifically her loved ones. She missed the constant company and desperately wished she didn’t.

She knew that if she asked Matt if she could move in with him and his roommate, he’d let her in a heartbeat. Hell, he might even move out of his apartment and into hers so that she didn’t have to go through the trouble herself.

Before Lance and Hunk moved into the campus’s dorms, they had initially asked her if she’d be interested in living with them in a nice neighborhood. She had been quick to decline, gushing about how she couldn’t wait to own a place she could have all to herself.

Now that she did, all she wanted to do was share it with someone else.

 _‘No.’_ She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head a couple times, focusing back on the site’s analytics she was reviewing for a marketing company. _‘I’m fine on my own.’_

Those five words were the same ones she told her parents the night she decided to seek for her own residency. An argument erupted after that, but what else was new in her life?

Another irritating sensation she missed was being in a relationship. While her first and previous one didn't last long, the experience was great. She may not have seen fireworks behind her eyes when they kissed or got giddy when they held hands, but it felt nice to be a _normal_ teenager at the time.

Pidge must have stared at her laptop screen fruitlessly for ten minutes before deciding to slam it shut. She sank back in her seat and drank her tea, aiming her attention at the song playing on the café’s radio. She sighed heavily, refusing to wallow herself in despair that shouldn’t exist in her world. If she was feeling lonesome, then the small crowd inside here can inadvertently fill the void.

 _‘I’m fine on my own,’_ she stubbornly told herself once again.

The abrupt sound of thunder ripped Pidge out of her thoughts. She naturally turned her head to glance outside when her heart skipped a beat and everything froze.

Walking by the front of the café was the most jaw-dropping, handsome-looking individual she had ever seen in her life. Amazingly enough, it wasn’t a piece of tech equipment.

They stopped to stand under the café’s gazebo right as the rain began to fall. They looked up at the sky and scowled.

Even through the fogged glass, she still became captivated by their stunning eyes.

When they felt her staring at them, they lowered their head and stared back. In that moment, Pidge swore she now knew what it meant to float on zero gravity.

_‘I’m... fine on my own.’_

With that final thought in mind, she teared her gaze away and forced herself back into work.  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

The sound of her phone ringing woke Pidge out of her slumber. Her body jerked up as she drowsily patted around the bed to locate the device. She hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep and glanced at her watch, noting it’s been twenty minutes since Keith left to go find food. It was probably him calling.

“Hello?” She greeted as casually as she could.

_“I MADE THE PRE-CUT! I MADE THE PRE-CUT!”_

Pidge winced and held the phone a great distance away. “Hi Lance…”

_“Wait, are you sleeping? Isn’t it morning for you? Where’s Keith?”_

“Whoa, no way! I thought the sun was setting over here,” she replied sarcastically and rubbed her eyes. “And he went to go get breakfast. He should be back soon.”

_“Yikes, you’re cranky. I’ll make this quick then!”_

Pidge rolled her eyes. “What’s up?”

_“Remember that NASA internship I was telling you and Hunk about? The one where they select a few undergraduates to go on a two month space exploration with some of the official crew members?”_

All traces of fatigue immediately dissipated from Pidge’s face. She flipped excitedly on her knees, nearly tumbling off the bed.

“You made it?! Lance, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!”

_“Tell me about it, I’m stoked too! Do you know if Keith got one too?”_

“Uhm…” Pidge absentmindedly scratched her cheek. “I don’t know, actually. We don’t really talk much about school.”

_“Well, chances are that if I made the pre-cut, he did too.”_

Her brows knitted at the change of tone in Lance’s voice. “Is something wrong?”

She heard him take a deep sigh. _“If I ask you a question, will you promise not to get mad at me?”_

“Uhm…” She blinked. “I can try? Does it have to do with Keith?”

_“Yeah.”_

Pidge nodded in understanding. She knew this conversation was bound to happen and glad it was going to now.

“What about Keith?”

_“You two are getting along, right? He isn’t giving you a hard time?”_

Okay. That hadn’t been the question she’d been expecting, but Pidge is just going to roll with it.

“Keith and I are good.” Aside from the first night they started this road trip. “He’s been cool with me. Why?”

_“Alright, please don’t take this the wrong way but... you’re not going to rebound him, right?”_

Pidge didn’t know what she was more surprised about—the fact that Lance thought she would stoop so low or that he was actually concerned about Keith.

_“Katie?”_

Taken completely off guard by the question, she had forgotten to respond. She honestly wasn’t sure what to say.

_“The reason I’m asking is because I’m worried about you. You’ve been acting different lately and while I understand, you seem more... like your walls are finally breaking down and you’re panicking to build them back up.”_

“I…” She licked her lips. One of the frightening qualities about Lance is that even though they were opposites of each other, he could still read her like an open book. “No, I’m not going to do that to Keith.”

_“It’s okay if you let him get close, you know.”_

She clipped her tongue. “I don’t know what you mean.”

At that instance, the door to the room opened and Keith entered carrying several plastic bags. Lance must’ve heard and quickly cleared his throat.

_“Anyways, enjoy your breakfast! Give the Mullet a pat on the back for me when he reads his email.”_

“I will,” Pidge murmured. “Congratulations Lance. Really, I’m happy for you. You deserved it.”

_“Thanks shorty! I’ll talk to you later.”_

By the time she hung up on Lance, Keith had already prepared a plate full of food for her. She got up from the bed and padded over to the couch where he was sitting.

“It smells amazing.” Pidge smiled and took a seat next to him. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He handed her a fork and grinned back.

Being in a public area full of strangers had always occupied some of the void in Pidge’s heart. Yet, the more time she spent with Keith, the more his presence alone somehow filled in every crack.

There’s a flame starting to burn inside her and she wanted to see it grow.  


* * *

  
Keith dubiously surveyed the sight in front of him with a pout on his lips and an eyebrow raised all the way to his hairline. He crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, asking Pidge if they were at the right place.

“We are,” she confirmed. “Why?”

“I didn’t take you as the type to, well, be interested in stuff like this.”

Pidge’s first pick of their adventure was the Flavel House Museum; previously owned by a Captain George and a known spot where a scene from the movie _The Goonies_ was filmed at. The Victorian building supposedly contained an array of beautiful craftsmanship inventions from two centuries ago and they were all in top notched conditions.

“To be honest, I hadn’t been planning to visit Oregon,” Pidge revealed. “But since _you_ did, I decided to compensate.”

“You didn’t have to do that."

“I wanted to,” she assured. “Besides, Hunk was the one who recommended me this place. He’s been here before and swore we’ll love it.”

Keith gave the museum another one-over and shrugged.

“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s go! We’re going to watch a mini film first. Hunk said we gotta to get the _authentic_ feel of the home.” Pidge playfully elbowed his side. “So don’t fall asleep on me.”

“Shouldn’t it be _me_ telling _you_ that?”

“Maybe you wouldn’t think you’d need to if you had let me taken a nap.”

“You wouldn’t have woken up in time.”

Pidge huffed and started marching towards the entrance of the museum, grudgingly knowing Keith was right.

He smirked and followed behind her silently.  


* * *

**  
10 months ago**

Pidge sat in her brand new car, fiddling with the radio and messing around with a new application she downloaded on her phone. She hummed with the music and turned her head upward at the bookstore’s entrance for the thousandth time, wondering where the hell Hunk was so that she could take him back to the dorms. He said his shift was going to end at six on the dot and it’s now twenty after.

She groaned impatiently and laid back, kicking her feet up on the dashboard. Today had been a long day for her and all she wanted to do was lounge around her living room with Matt while binge watching Netflix. It’s been awhile since they’ve hung out and she missed him terribly.

When another ten minutes passed with still no sign of Hunk, Pidge rolled her head to the side and yawned. She watched a pigeon from the store’s rooftop fly down in a perfect swoop and perched itself the hood of the car parked beside her.

She squinted at the vehicle, recognizing it as a Civic. It looked awfully familiar…

The bells on top of the bookstore’s entrance suddenly dinged. Pidge shifted her eyes over to the double doors and her breath was instantly caught in her throat.

_It’s them._

Walking out of the bookstore carrying several textbooks was the same stranger Pidge had first seen awhile back through the window of the campus’s café. Since that day she’s spotted them here and there around the area, always just watching them until they disappeared or she felt like an A-grade creep.

They had taken their keys out their pocket—and _my god_ did they look fantastic in those dark washed jeans—and beeped the Civic’s trunk open.

Pidge eyes flew wide open as her body went into a mini frenzy. She sat up straight and planted her feet back in their respective place, hands going straight to the steering wheel and not caring that her phone was thrown somewhere in the backseat. Her face flushed and her body tensed when she saw the stranger through her peripheral come around and shooed the pigeon away.

Right then, the passenger door opened with a loud click. Pidge jumped about three feet in the air and released a yelp.

“Shit!” Pidge hissed. “Dammit Hunk!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Hunk apologized and slid inside, closing the door. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Or make you wait half an hour for me. I was helping a customer.”

“It’s fine,” she grumbled, despite being annoyed by the wait beforehand.

“Oh look—it’s Keith.”

“Keith?” Pidge questioned as she turned on the ignition. There was still small traces of blush on her cheeks. “Who’s Keith?”

“You know the guy Lance has been butting heads with lately?”

“Oh, yeah. What about him?”

“That’s him right next to us getting into the car.”

Pidge froze, blinked three times, and then slowly turned her head to stare wide eyed out the window at...  _Keith._

“Th-That’s him?”

“In the flesh,” Hunk confirmed and clipped on his seat belt, completely unaware of Pidge’s internal dilemma. “Heh, he doesn’t look like anything Lance made him out to be. He may have been spot on with the mullet, but Keith definitely doesn’t look like a washed-up dropout.”

“Not at all,” she muttered after a moment. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as she watched Keith pull out of the parking space.

“Think he’s cute?”

 _‘Beyond,’_ Pidge thought inwardly.

“He’s alright,” she lied and shrugged. “He’s just not my type.”

“You know one of these days, Lance and I _are_ going to find your type.”

“I don’t see the point,” Pidge said as she reversed the car. At the same time, she saw a couple entering the bookstore. “I’m fine on my own.”  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

Keith was leaning over an old mahogany desk, peering down at the aged typewriter that somehow maintained a polished appearance. He was observing the device with genuine interest, going as far as reading the informational plaque next to it.

It’s an endearing sight; one Pidge couldn’t resist taking pictures of. She smiled softly as she looked them over on her digital camera, saving them properly in the storage files. She hadn’t been snapping much pictures since they’ve stepped inside the house museum and they were almost done exploring it.

She heard the tour guide ushering people to go outside to see the garden. She peeked through the window to see where it was and tapped Keith’s shoulder.

“I think the the garden is the last thing to look at,” she said.

He looked at her. “Want to go see it?”

“Yeah, why not? We’re here.”

“You’re here, but you don’t really look like you _are_ here,” Keith explained and crossed his arms. “You look like your head is somewhere else.”

“I’m fighting sleep.”

He frowned at her skeptically. “You sure?”

“I’m positive,” she grounded and began walking away, eyes cast downward. “Come on. I want to see the garden.”

Keith’s frown increased as he watched her go outside with everyone else, knowing full well she was far from fine.  


* * *

**  
9 months ago**

“I’m not running another lap.”

“Come ooooon!” Lance moaned. “The weather is perfect, the sun isn’t too bright, the birds are singing—what could be better than this?”

“Not running,” Pidge countered with spite, breathing heavily through her nose. She had her hands on her knees and was bent forward, trying to get more oxygen back into her lungs.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Matt reminded as he ruffled her damped head.

“Okay, but what about _him?”_ Pidge pointed at Hunk, who was laying on the ground breathing heavier than she was. “One more lap and he’s gone forever. Shit, I might be too—who knows?”

“Waaaaateeeeer,” Hunk gasped as he raised his arm straight to the sky. “Water, please. Anyone. I neeeeeeed.”

“I got you big guy.” Lance knelt beside him and handed him a large water bottle from his backpack. “Get yourself hydrated. We’ll take it slow this time around, I promise.”

Pidge growled and threw her hands up. “Why are we doing this? I hate exercise.”

“No, you hate running,” Matt corrected, then added, “and cardio is good for you.”

“Cardio be damned.”

Matt chuckled and pulled her in an one arm, sweaty hug.

“Stop being dramatic. It’s good for your heart.”

“You know what’s not good for me? Your stank ass pits!” Pidge shoved him away. “Gross!”

He laughed and took out some money from his wallet. “I’m going to the vendors to buy water for us. Does anyone else want anything?”

“An extra set of lungs,” Hunk wheezed. Lance smiled sympathetically at him and patted his chest.

“Ha, I’ll see what I can do,” Matt grinned. Before he could take a step, he spotted something from the distance and stopped.

“What?” Pidge asked.

“It’s Shiro and his brother, Keith.”

It took every ounce of self-control within Pidge to not start freaking out. As calmly as she could, she massaged the back of her neck and turned her head slowly to see where Matt was looking at.

Big mistake.

“Well, my afternoon is now ruined,” Lance groaned and helped Hunk to his feet. “We can go home now.”

“Are you serious?” Hunk rolled his eyes, feeling much better after drinking water. “He didn’t steal your girlfriend, you know. He’s just in the same program as you.”

“You don’t like Keith?” Matt questioned Lance, visibly surprised.

As they all latched into their own conversation, Pidge swallowed hard and warily kept her eye on Keith and Shiro. The brothers were stretching out their legs on a bench and talking to each other with a smirk on both their faces. The two were the picture perfect definition of fitness and strength, but her eyes obviously drew over to Keith and stayed there.

Keith was wearing a snugged black tank with loose joggers and white sneakers. He had his hair tied in a loose ponytail with his signatures gloves on and a faded tag around his neck. The outfit was completely different from what Pidge is used to seeing him in and he looked fantastic nonetheless, much to her chagrin.

She peered down at herself and cringed. All she was wearing was an oversized t-shirt from Matt’s closet and a pair of old shorts from middle school. She reached between her thighs and attempted to pull them down to hide more skin, but apparently the three inches she’s grown since then has made a difference in how it fitted her now.

“I’m going to say what’s up to them and then get some water bottles,” Matt said. “You guys stay here and wait for me.”

“Oh, we’re not going anywhere,” Hunk promised. “Take your time, please.”

Matt smiled and left without another word. When he was a good few yards away, Lance frantically spun around on his heels to face Pidge.

“You didn’t tell me Keith was Shiro’s brother!”

“I…” Pidge blinked. “I didn’t know either. I didn’t even know Shiro _had_ a brother.”

“But Matt’s buddy-buddy with him.”

“Now they are. It wasn’t always like that.”

Lance harrumphed and crossed his arms. “Now your brother thinks I’m acting like a high school chick talking shit.”

“You are.” Pidge scowled. “What the hell is it about Keith that makes you dislike him so much? Be honest. No bullshit.”

She had been expecting another senseless comment to escape his mouth and was ready to fire back to defend Keith. She’s had enough with this buffoonery and was prepared to shut down this one-sided drama once and for all.

What she wasn’t expecting was to be met with silence. Heavy silence. Cold silence. Bizarre silence because Lance usually had something to say for everything. It didn’t matter what the topic was; you could bet your ass he will always run his mouth.

So when Pidge didn’t get a response right away, she knew something was wrong. Especially when he had his gaze fixated on the dirt beneath his feet.

“He’s better than me in everything,” Lance muttered. “The more time I spend in class with him studying for this aerospace engineering degree, the more I... think, like, what’s the point? I sometimes get yelled at by the officers from NASA who occasionally come to the school to view our progress and when it comes to comparing me with someone else who has the higher potential for space exploration, it’s always Keith. Keith, Keith, _Keith.”_ He kicked a pebble nearby. “And it’s annoying as fuck, not to mention a huge blow to my self-esteem.”

Pidge sighed and reached out to grab his arm. “Lance, I get why you’re upset—"

“Katie,” Lance interrupted. “You never have to worry about anything. You’re the gifted child. You’re always number one. How could you possibly know what it feels like to live in somebody else’s shadow?”

She retracted her hand as if she’s been burned. She stared wide eyed at Lance as he scowled at her.

“You don’t get it,” he said and went around her. “And you never will.”

Her arm dropped dejectedly against her side.

“Lance,” Hunk chastised and glared. “Not cool.”

“It’s fine,” Pidge insisted. “I... He’s right. I’ll never know. He’s absolutely right.”

Lance whipped his head around in shock, completely caught off guard by her words.

“I’m gonna get a head start on the final lap. I’ll meet you guys back here.”

She bolted and ignored Lance’s calls to come back. She clenched her fists and picked up the pace to get away faster, gritting at the burn rising inside her calves.

Through the corner of her eye, she saw Matt turning around and calling out for her too. Naturally, Keith followed his line of vision in time to see her running past them.

 _‘I’m fine on my own,’_ Pidge thought as she followed the running trail up the hill. She’d been foolish to think she could change Lance’s mind about Keith just so she could get a chance to talk to the boy.

Guess it wasn’t meant to be.  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

Pidge had only planned on spending a few minutes in the garden, then ended up going through the pathway again. And again. And again. And again.

She’s never seen a garden up close. Now that she has, it was a wonder how she never came across one before until now. It’s not big by any means, but damn if it wasn’t uniquely beautiful.

“Enjoying yourself?” Keith asked, standing close behind her.

“I am.” She crouched down and snapped a picture of a lone maroon flower in the middle of a bush. “It’s gorgeous.”

“You know for someone who is reluctant to go hiking tomorrow, you sure seem fascinated by nature.”

“I like nature. Nature doesn’t like me.”

“Mother Nature loves all her children,” Keith joked.

“Uh huh. I’ll remember that the next time a poison ivy gives me hell.”

“Here’s a tip—don’t go near it next time.”

“You’re hilarious.”

A giggling nearby directed Pidge’s attention to the owner of the sound. It was a young girl wrapped in the arms of an older guy from behind and they were taking a selfie. He kissed the top of her head and she giggled again, a blush evident on her cheeks.

Pidge’s mind once again drifted off into an endless circle of pestering thoughts and aversed memories from her past, replaying the scenes in her head like a broken record. Her head buzzed with dozens of questions while her chest ached with self-doubt. Suddenly, everything around her is beginning to feel heavy and she's overwhelmed and she needs to get out of here because _this isn’t what she is supposed to be doing—_

“Katie?” Keith called out and grabbed her shoulder.

Just as quickly as the onset of emotions came, Pidge pushed them down back into the depths of her heart and raised her head.

“Yeah?”

He wanted to ask her if she was alright, but then thought against it. She’d just lie to his face and he didn’t want to make her do that.

“Ready to visit the town center?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Pidge stood on her feet and brushed off the invisible dust on her shirt. “Let me use the bathroom first. Gotta pee.”

Keith nodded. “I’ll wait here by the bench.”

“Cool. Be right back!”

When Pidge’s figure disappeared inside the museum, Keith’s eyes drifted over to the same couple she had been staring at. They were walking away now and heading off towards the exit.

His gaze hardened in concentration as his mind groped for a logical explanation on Pidge’s behavior. Something was definitely up with her and he’s determined to find out why.

He just hoped on all the stars in the sky that it had nothing to do with Dominique.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter inspired by [[x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7EHeVJ5f1w)]


	9. Top of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks to the first time Keith started paying more attention to Pidge, the first moment he started falling for her, and the one time he almost had a chance to talk to her.

**PRESENT**

Pidge and Keith carried on the rest of the day exploring through Astoria with light conversations, snapping pictures of wonderful sights, and consuming an abundant amount of seafood.

Well, Keith consumed them. Pidge made do with what she could eat while she enjoyed poking fun at him. It was amusing watching someone as apathetic as him pull all kinds of disgusted faces.

“I knew I wasn’t going to like this either.” Keith scowled at the fried crabs on the stick in his hand and reluctantly swallowed the food. “Shouldn’t you be the last person convincing me to eat this? More importantly, why did I even agree?”

“It’s hilarious seeing your reactions. Also, I have a natural gift of getting people to do what I want them to do.” Pidge chuckled and secretly took a photo of him from across the table. After deeming it a nice shot, she saved it into the camera roll. “So, not a seafood person?”

“Definitely not. The sea creatures will thank me.” He dropped the fried crabs back on the tray and pushed it aside.

“I can assure you do they do,” Pidge grinned, stifling a laugh behind her hand.

He stuck his tongue out in revulsion. “Now my stomach feels heavy and gross from all the grease.”

“Let me shower first when we get back to the hotel. That way, you can blow up the toilet all you want afterwards.”

“Haha. Very funny...”

“Don’t worry. You can’t be any worse than Lance.”

Keith’s face morphed into disgust. “I’m cutting the conversation short before what I ate comes right back up.”

“Good idea.” Pidge put away the camera back in its pouch. “Do you mind if we call it a night though? I’m really exhausted.”

Keith couldn’t blame her. After the Flavel House Museum, the two did a lot more than he originally thought they would.

First they went to the Astoria Column, which had amazing artwork covering every inch of the pillar and an awesome view of the Columbia River at the top. Pidge must’ve taken a dozen pictures from every angle and had to be pulled back from the rail a couple times by Keith for getting too excited and unknowingly going near the edge.

Then they drove through the Astoria-Megler Bridge, where Pidge recorded a short video of the stunning scenery while Keith was behind the wheel. She had zoomed in on his face at one point and made him talk to the camera, regarding it a success when she got him to smile at one of her jokes.

They also went on tour in the Lightship Columbia, where they experienced what it would be like to spend days and nights inside a ship undergoing through a storm. They got lost a couple times strolling through the upper and lower decks, wandering through most of it instead of staying with the tour group. They both thought it'd be more fun that way, even if it took them an extra twenty minutes to find their way back.

After that, the duo decided to catch break from all the traveling and have a late dinner at Reach Break Brewery, where they were currently at. It was a delightfully cool summer night; with a nice breeze passing by and fluffing over their heads.

“Not at all. I’m getting tired myself too.” He cleared the table and tossed everything in a nearby trash. “Let’s go.”

The two walked away from the brewery and headed out to the parking lot in comfortable silence. Keith fell a couple steps behind, staring at Pidge and remembering how two years ago he spent most of fall semester becoming familiar with the back of her head.  


* * *

**  
22 months ago**

Keith was late to psychology class, not that anyone or the professor cared.

He took a seat at his usual spot in the back of the room, quietly sipping on a juice box while taking out his laptop. He plugged his charger into an outlet underneath the table and waited for the screen to load up so he could start taking notes. He glanced up at the board to see what the lesson was about today and groaned.

**LAWS OF ATTRACTION/SCIENCE OF LOVE**

Maybe he should’ve skipped class today.

Keith continued to suck on the now empty juice box while morosely reflecting back on the events that happened in the past week. Life couldn’t be more of a disdained bitch at that moment.

_“Keith... I’m sorry. You’re like family to me. I don’t...I’m afraid I don’t see you that way.”_

The painful words echoed through his mind relentlessly until he could no longer pay attention to the lesson. He gritted his teeth and buried his face into his folded arms, hoping the next time he looked up everyone will have disappeared and he could be miserable and alone. Even though he had accurately predicted the outcome of his confession, it still hurt.

Thankfully anyone sitting around him would think he just had a headache from all the work they’ve been doing and not because of a heartbreak. It was the middle of the semester and nearly everyone appeared ready to collapse from exhaustion. There was something strangely comforting in knowing there was people in here who don’t want to sit through this lecture as well.

“... and this is why the majority believe women tend to fall in love when they have sex,” Dr. Kaltenecker concluded and displayed what seemed to be the final slide of the presentation. “The oxytocin in females skyrockets when they orgasm and thus, that’s why it is speculated they are the ones taking bigger risks when it comes to being intimate with another human being.”

Catching the last bit of that information, Keith lifted his face from his arms and frowned in confusion. He may not have been conscious through most of the lesson, yet even he was aware of how amissed that sounded.

“It’s the final ten minutes of class, which means it’s time for a class discussion.” Dr. Kaltenecker turned off the projector and faced the class. “What are your thoughts?”

“Now I get why having friends-with-benefits with a chick is a big _hell-no,”_ some random guy in the front row shared. “They will always get attached.”

This earned him a few patronizing chuckles. Keith rolled his eyes and placed his head back down, recognizing the dude as someone from Dominique's clique.

“You can throw a hundred studies my way on how sex makes a biological female fall in love and why commitment makes biological men become infatuated as well, but ultimately, it all comes down to the heart.”

Keith’s brows peaked with interest as his eyes swept across the room to see who just spoke. It turned out to be a petite girl sitting four rows in front of him.

“Please elaborate what you mean, Ms. Holt,” Dr. Kaltenecker requested.

 _‘That must be Matt’s sister,’_ Keith thought, recognizing the last name.

“I think the biggest mistake for anyone who tries to explain what love is through a scientific approach is that it’s more than just the chemicals in our brains,” she explained. “I believe it’s something beyond our comprehension. Even beyond psychology.”

“Do you mean spiritually?”

The girl shrugged. “Maybe.”

“You sound like you’re talking out of your ass,” the guy from before spoke up.

“You would know so much about that, wouldn’t you?” She clipped back.

Keith smirked as a few people snickered.

“What I mean is that…” she turned back to the professor. “Everyone seems to want an answer as to what love is, but they don’t realize it’s almost like a ghost; we talk about it all the time like we understand it, yet only a few of us have ever truly experienced it.”

The class got quiet after that. The ones who were awake looked amused, aside from the one guy whom she previously jabbed at.

Since that day, Keith unintentionally found himself hanging onto to every word she said.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to get to know someone else he wasn't already familiar with.  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

“Hey Shiro. What’s up?”

 _“I’m just calling to check in,”_ Shiro’s voice said through the phone. _“You two holding up okay?”_

“Yeah. Katie and I are good.” Keith rested his back against the wall and crossed his ankles. He was standing outside in the hall and waiting for Pidge to finish getting ready for bed. “We just got back to the hotel.”

_“What did you guys do today?”_

Keith recounted the events with a small grin on his face, replaying it all inside his head as the butterflies inside his chest expanded. He offered to send Shiro pictures of the places they visited when he got the chance to and revealed how he knew Pidge was taking pictures of him when she thought he wasn’t looking.

_“I bet there’s something funny photos in there.”_

“There’s some of me shoving live octopus in my mouth, that’s for sure.”

_“No way.”_

Keith continued on with the stories and told Shiro about his horrendous experiences with seafood. That earned him a laughing fit from the older man.

_“I’ve been trying to get you to eat them for years!”_

“Because I thought they’d be gross, which by the way, I was right about.”

 _“Well, I’m not surprised that Katie was the one who convinced you to eat them,”_ Shiro teased. Keith could sense him smirking. _“When’s the wedding?”_

“You’re hilarious. And delusional.”

_“One day you guys were strangers and the next, you’re on a romantic road trip to travel across the country. You can’t blame me for thinking you might go on a honeymoon soon.”_

Keith rolled his eyes and harshly rubbed his face to prevent the blush from creeping onto his cheeks. It didn’t work.

_“How are you doing financially?”_

“I’m doing fine,” he mumbled.

 _“I’ll admit, I’m a little worried,”_ Shiro confessed, voice filled with evident concern. _“I know you made good money at the motorcycle shop, but are you sure you have enough—"_

“I do,” Keith interrupted. “Trust me, I do.”

Shiro was quiet for a moment.

_“Are you still planning on seeing your mother?”_

Keith stared blankly at the carpeted floor and sighed, solemnly wishing Shiro hadn’t asked that question. He clenched his fist and shoved his hand into his pocket.

“I am.”

Silence.

_“I hope you change your mind soon.”_

Keith wanted to assure Shiro he won’t, but what good would that do? He wasn’t in the mood for this argument and frankly, way too damn tired to talk about it. Like Pidge, he too was exhausted and needed sleep.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Keith promised. “Goodnight.”

_“Stay safe. Take care. Goodnight.”_

Keith sighed again as the call disconnected.  
  


* * *

**  
15 months ago**

It was mandatory for every student who attended Altea University to get their ID pictures taken every two years. Keith didn’t mind one bit, but what he did mind was the colossal line wrapping around the photography building twice.

With a heavy grunt, he dragged himself to the back of the line and waited. It was at times like these where he wished Shiro or Allura were still attending this school to suffer alongside him underneath the blazing heat. He didn’t bother to fix himself up for the photo session like many others did, so he can only imagine what kind of disaster he would look like by the time it was his turn.

To make time go by faster, he listened to music on his phone. He always preferred a quiet atmosphere, but with dozens of loud gossiping bustling around him and people constantly complaining about the sun, he needed noise to drown them all out.

It wasn’t until Keith was halfway through the line and the song’s rift ended did his ears pick up a couple familiar voices among the crowd. He slid the headphones down his neck and listened in more closely while he scanned his surroundings.

Sure enough, he spotted Pidge and Lance behind him with five people standing between them. He quirked an amused brow when he saw Pidge clawing her eye sockets down with her fingers, looking pissed off.

 _“Lance...”_ she reprimanded with massive annoyance. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

“... I did,” Lance confessed meekly.

“And what happened after?”

“Hunk walked out. I haven’t seen him since last night.”

“You’re a fucking _idiot.”_

Keith snorted, not the least bit surprised Lance had done something to upset his best friend. That boy somehow always finds himself in the hot seat.

“Why?” Pidge threw her arms up. “Just, why?”

“I don’t know!” Lance yelled. “I was drunk? I wasn’t thinking?”

“You’re damn right you weren’t thinking!” She kicked the back of his knees without warning. He yelped and instantly fell on his ass. “How could you kiss his cousin?!”

Lance didn’t say anything and rubbed his sore bottom. He stared at the ground ashamed.

“You know, instead of playing defense on the soccer team, you should've been a goalie,” Pidge seethed and crouched down until she was eye-leveled with Lance. “Cause’ you like to jump in front of anything that moves!”

Like many others who started eavesdropping in their conversation, Keith made a silent ‘oh’ face. He turned back around when the line started to move.

“Okay, I deserve that one,” Lance sighed. “I’m an asshole.”

The response Keith had expected from the tough, sarcastic, headstrong chick from his psychology class never happened. Instead, she did something he thought she’d never do.

“You’re not an asshole.”

Her voice suddenly went softer than from what Keith remembered and it compelled him to look over his shoulder again. He was more familiar with her brazen statements and dauntless attitude, so for her to be this gentle was new to him. It peaked his interest.

“You may not make the best decisions and have an overly cocky attitude, but you’re friendly, open-minded, and you have a good heart.” She helped Lance get back on his feet and straightened out his dress shirt to get rid of the creases. “But I promise you’re not an asshole.”

“But I _really_ crossed the line with Hunk. I screwed up!”

“It’s not anything you two can’t get passed,” she assured, still talking in that compassionate tone. “You guys are best friends. You’ve been through a lot together. One mistake is not going to blow the entire house down.”

The smile she gave to Lance shouldn’t have had made Keith think it was the prettiest smile he has ever seen. He frowned in question, faced forward, and placed his headphones back on to drown out the world around him.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

By the time Keith got out the shower, Pidge was already asleep.

He flicked off the lights and got dressed in the dark, careful not to make a sound and wake her up. She’d been tired for most of the day and didn’t want to disturb her when she was finally resting.

He smirked when he heard her snore lightly. Oh, he was _so_ going to tease her about that.

It was a relatively cool night, considering it was the beginning of summer. Keith figured it’d be nice to allow some fresh air into the room while they slept and cranked open a window halfway. He drew the curtains apart and looked up at the dark sky, smiling at the constellations he could make out through the streetlights. He couldn’t wait to fly up there one day and explore the galaxy.

He entertained the thought for a fleeting moment before stealing a glance over at Pidge’s sleeping form.

She was on her stomach, with her arms tucked underneath the pillow and her face resting on the side. Her hair was down, covering most of her back and shoulders. For such a tiny thing, she sure had an abundance amount of locks.

It was one of his favorite features about her.

Keith walked around his bed and took a seat on the edge, never taking his eyes off of Pidge. When he stared at her like this—so calm, peaceful, and serene—it made him forget how angry he was inside.

Attraction had always been a strange concept to him, especially one this strong. At first he speculated his interest for her to be the result of experiencing his first heartbreak. He guessed that by the time they stopped having classes together, he’d forget about her and she would be nothing more than a girl with a brilliant mind from his psychology class.

Pidge was still that girl, but it was only one part out of the many Keith has yet to discover. The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to stick around to see what else she was about.

He’d love to get to know every part of her that makes her uniquely Pidge, if only she would allow herself to _be_ that person.

Pidge had unloaded the weight of the world off her chest the night they crashed at that dingy motel. She had cried about her frustrations, poured her heart out, and practically begged the universe to save her from her misery. Yet, there was one part from everything that stood out to Keith the most.

\---

_“Can I just... be the me I’ve always wanted to be?”_

\---

What had she meant by that? Why would she say it? Was she so drunk that she was spewing out words at that point? Was she pretending to be someone she’s not? Keith couldn’t imagine that’d be the case since she didn’t seem like the type to give a damn about people’s opinions about her. She had this vibe about her that screamed unapologetic. It’s what attracted him to her to begin with.

He got under the covers and continued to mull over this. He thought about her strange behavior earlier at the Flavel House Museum and how throughout the day, it felt like she had kept herself guarded. Was she still not comfortable being around Keith? Was she regretting going on this road trip adventure with him? Did she only agree because she ran over his bike and felt like she owed her time to him? Why wasn’t any of her beautiful smiles reaching her eyes? How come all her laughs sounded forced?

As the midnight hour ticked by and the sky darkened, a hundred more questions infiltrated Keith’s head until sleep crept up on him. He yawned, turned on his side, and wrapped the comforter tighter around his body.

The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was a bright shooting star passing by the window.

When the crack of dawn came and some of the answer to last night's questions came to Keith in his sleep, he sprung awake. He paused, gazed thoughtfully out the window, and crafted the perfect solution to help out the girl he was rapidly falling for.  


* * *

**  
9 months ago**

“I bet fifty bucks I can beat you today.”

“Fifty bucks that you won’t,” Keith smirked and placed his leg on the bench, leaning forward to stretch out his calf muscle. “I see your wager is higher this week.”

“It gets me motivated,” Shiro answered and mimicked Keith’s movements. “What’s a little competition without some extra fun?”

Keith chuckled. “I’m not complaining. It’s your wallet’s funeral.”

Every Saturday morning, Keith and Shiro always went to the city’s park for a friendly run. It was their way of spending quality time together and catching up on what’s been going on in each other’s lives. They may have lived together, but they hardly ever saw each other due to work, school, and life in general.

It was on one of these runs where Keith revealed to Shiro about his longtime crush on Katie. It took Shiro completely off guard that he nearly impaled himself against a vendor and demanded to know why Keith never told him before. Keith responded that he never saw the point and effortlessly won the race that day.

Right as they were about to take off, someone called out their names and got their attention.

“Shiro! Keith!”

They both raised their heads to see a sweaty Matt waving and heading their way.

“Hey!” Shiro greeted with a smile. Keith waved back. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” Matt answered. “About to run through these trails again. You?”

“Same thing,” Keith replied. “First time, though.”

“We should do it together,” Shiro suggested. “What do you guys say?”

Keith shrugged. “I’m fine with it.”

“Sure, but count me out on the bet,” Matt eyed them both knowingly. “I don’t have thirty bucks to spare.”

“It’s fifty today,” Shiro corrected.

“Damn, _definitely_ count me out. Oh, by the way…” Matt turned to Keith. “Do you happen know Lance? Lance Reyes?”

“Unfortunately,” Keith muttered begrudgedly and crossed his arms.

Shiro laughed and patted Keith’s shoulder. “They butt heads from time to time, I hear.”

“He’s in the same program as me, so he’s in most of my classes,” Keith explained. “How come?”

Matt thumbed over his shoulder. “Heard some interesting things about you from him.”

Keith groaned and rolled his eyes. “Whatever…”

“You know Lance?” Shiro asked Matt.

“He’s more of my sister’s friend that mine. They’re hanging over there now waiting for me to bring back water with one of their other friends.”

Keith’s eyes were already scanning the park before Matt could finish his sentence. Through his peripheral, he could see Shiro grinning mischievously and instantly elbowed the older man.

“Stop that!” Keith demanded.

“Stop what?” Shiro feigned innocence and rubbed his arm. “What am I doing?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

Matt blinked owlishly between them.

Keith glared at Shiro, who continued to pretend he had no clue what was going on. The nerve of him…

“Katie! _Katie!”_

“Huh?” Matt whipped his head around at the sound of Lance’s frantic call to his sister. “What the…”

Keith and Shiro looked up in time to see Pidge sprinting past them.

“Katie!” Matt called out. “Katie, where are you going?! Katie!”

She blatantly ignored Matt and ran up the hill. Her figure disappeared into the radiant sun, leaving behind nothing but the twinkling asphalt underneath her feet.  
  


* * *

**  
PRESENT**

Keith had a brilliant idea, or at least he claimed he did. Whatever it was, he forced Pidge out of bed at six in the morning and urgently told her she needed to get ready.

“We’re checking out _now?”_

“Yupp.” Keith zipped up his boots and stood from his place on the couch. “The sooner we leave, the better.”

Pidge groaned and flipped over, curling herself back into a ball. “I refuse.”

“You have no choice. I already checked us out.”

 _“What?!”_ She screeched and shot up. “Keith, what the hell?”

“Get moving. Multnomah Falls awaits us.”

Pidge made an irritated noise in the back of her throat and reluctantly pulled the covers away. She sluggishly slipped out of bed and dragged herself into the bathroom, locking it shut.

“You have ten minutes before the house-keeping crew comes in here!” Keith shouted through the door.

She grumbled curses under her breath and aggressively turned on the faucet to begin brushing her teeth.  
  


* * *

  
The sun started to peak over the horizon by the time they arrived at their destination. The rays filled the sky with streaks of reds, pinks, and oranges, filtering through the cotton clouds to welcome a brand new day. The light bounced off the head of the mountains and trees, adding a tinted layer of honeyed tones and amber hues.

It was a lovely sight. Too bad Pidge didn’t cared enough to appreciate it at the moment.

“How far do we have to walk to see this waterfall?” she asked.

“You can see it from here in the parking lot,” Keith answered.

“Don’t be a smartass. You know what I mean.”

“It’s literally right there when we get to the entrance.”

She closed the passenger door and began walking next to him on the side of the road.

“Is it even open?” She surveyed their surroundings. “There’s no one here but us.”

“It is. We’re just early.”

“I could’ve slept for a little longer then…”

“I didn’t want anyone else around,” Keith admitted. “No crowd, no rangers, no long waits in line—only us and nature.”

“Bugs, dirt, wild animals, and a possible serial killer hiding in the forest? How romantic.”

“I’ll protect you. If I die, tell Shiro I knew he could never beat me in a race as long as I was alive.”

Pidge huffed and stayed close to Keith when he turned the corner, pulling the straps on her backpack. The path was wide and spacious, with tree branches hanging above and blanketing them in the shadows. The sound of the waterfall was much more louder and clearer, not that Pidge seemed to notice.

“I still don’t understand why this couldn’t have waited until later. Do you have any idea how tired I am? My feet are still sore from yesterday and you’re expecting me to still go hiking? I’m pretty sure there’s plenty of other mountains we can go exploring through in America. If I pass out from exhaustion it’s going to be all your... y-your... _whoa.”_

Keith smirked when she skidded to a halt and followed her line of vision.

There in the distance—in the center of many arrays coated by greens and browns in the vast openness—was a giant body of white water. It poured endlessly from the tip of the mountain, shimmering brilliantly under the rising sun.

Mouth ajar, Pidge stepped forward until her hands gripped the rails. At the bottom of the waterfall, she could see the powerful rapids flicked against the surface.

“Ever seen a real waterfall up close?” Keith asked.

She numbly shook her head.

“What do you think?

“It’s... _beautiful.”_

He smiled.

“I see a bridge,” she pointed. “Are we allowed to go there?”

“You bet.” He readjusted his backpack and motioned her to come along. “Let’s go there now.”

Pidge eagerly nodded and followed him.  
  


* * *

  
The hike up the trails wasn’t as dreadful as Pidge had imagined. Actually, it was the most exhilarating experience of her life—one she fell in love with right away.

The sound of the waterfall echoing throughout the forest acted as nature’s main symphony. Birds chirped at an improvised harmony that had Pidge and Keith tilting their heads upward and smiling up at the wild, delicate creatures. Faint noises came from the small streams they saw from time to time accompanied by the breeze hissing through the lively trees.

The bridge took almost no time to get to. They were closer to the waterfall and could feel the spritz on their faces, but it wasn’t enough for Pidge. She wanted to get even closer.

The path twisted and dipped randomly, but Pidge didn’t let it falter her steps. She kept up with Keith without fail, determined to reach the top of Multnomah Falls.

“How are you holding up?” Keith asked.

Pidge replied to him with a thumbs up. There was sweat dripping down the side of her face and her cheeks were red from the nonstop exertion.

“We can rest for a bit,” Keith insisted. Of course he didn’t look like he was on the verge of passing out.  “It’s not a race.”

“Have you been here before?” she asked. Well, more like wheezed.

He nodded and steadied her when she began to sway. “Once, but I was by myself.”

“I’m glad to know I have Indiana Jones with me.”

“Oh please. I’m way better.”

She huffed. “Whatever you say…”

After taking a half an hour break, they resumed their travel.

Pidge wasn’t sure how it happened, but somewhere between the ground getting steeper and the temperature dropping into the low sixties, she found herself holding Keith’s hand.

Maybe she had needed his assistance to haul herself up and over a boulder. Maybe he had reached out to pull her in the right direction when she was about to walk towards the wrong one. Maybe she needed the extra muscle to help her get to the last few steps to the top. Whatever the case had been, she didn’t want to let go.

However, the moment Pidge stood at the highest point in the area, she couldn’t stop herself from bringing both palms to her mouth and gasped.

The view wasn’t beautiful. It was _surreal._

The breathtaking landscape of the mountains, forests, and sky was the embodiment of everything that belonged in a dreamland. From the colors to the shapes to the sizes to the atmosphere—everything.

All of Pidge’s senses heightened to the maximum. Suddenly, she could clearly hear the whistling breeze passing by and feel nature’s spiritual embrace holding her dear. The waterfall’s deafening roar stirred her soul and made her stomach flutter overzealously.

Ever so slowly, she peeled her gaze away from the magnificent sight and turned to face Keith. He noticed and looked over at her as the wind whipped his hair around.

“Keith,” she breathed and licked her chapped lips. “I’m... I don’t know what to say. This place is amazing.”

“Makes you speechless, doesn’t it?”

“That’s putting it lightly.” She stared out at the landscape again.

“There's a few stories behind this place.”

“Stories? What kind of stories?"

Keith stepped closer to the edge and peered down. “I can't remember all of them, but the one I remember the most is that this place was created to win a princess’s love. She wanted a secluded area to bathe in peace and share it one day with a family of her own, so she was given all of this.”

Pidge whistled impressively. “What a lucky girl.”

“Agreed,” Keith nodded. “How do you feel?”

“Like a fucking badass who is at the top of the world. I mean, just _look_ at this place!” She raised her arms in victory and spread them wide. “It’s amazing! I’ve honestly never felt more alive.”

Keith observed Pidge’s reactions with a smile on his face. “You look happy.”

“I’m fucking thrilled.” She closed her eyes and inhaled, welcoming the sun’s warmth on her face. “I feel like I’m standing in the center of the universe.”

He turned back to face the landscape and closed his eyes as well, enjoying the chilling breeze.

“So…” Pidge began cautiously. “I don’t mean to ruin the moment or anything, but what was your so-called brilliant plan here? Didn’t you wanted us to come here in the first place?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Keith grabbed her hand. “I’ll take you there now if you want.”

“You mean there’s something else around here other than this?”

“It’s a secret spot I found. I hadn’t been planning to go there with you, but now I think it’s the perfect time. Come on.”

Her brows furrowed in question. Where was he taking her now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be longer, but then the last scene only felt right if the next conflict was introduced and, yeah. See ya next time!


	10. Perfect Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt discovers something he didn't think he'd ever find. Pidge finally breaks through the last wall that was holding her back. Shiro's reasoning for not wanting Keith to meet his birth mother is finally revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUUUUUGE thanks to [Zero](http://eravicis.tumblr.com/) for betaing this chapter!!! ♡
> 
> Note: New tags have been added. If you think I should add anything else, let me know!

Matt would like to think he knew his little sister better than anyone else. He took pride in it.

Growing up, he has witnessed her go through all the early stages of life while sitting in the front seat.

He was there when she uttered her first word. He was there when she first learned how to ride a bike. He was there when she won her first science fair competition. He was there when she stepped into middle school and begun her period. He was there when she introduced her first boyfriend to their parents and was there when she got up on stage during high school graduation and gave her valedictorian speech.

Not only that, but he was the one who taught her how to drive a car and the one who spent countless nights helping her study for all her major exams. He was the one who played video games with her all night and suffered with when it came to cleaning the house the following morning. He was also the shoulder she cried on whenever she needed to release her emotions and held her until she fell asleep.

Matt was the one she trusted the most. He was the one whom she always turned to and knew she could always rely on. No matter if they were arguing over something dumb or how much time has passed since they’ve last spoken, he was always her number one.

So when he stumbled upon a few clinical documents while searching for one of his video games at her apartment, he was caught completely off guard.

Even more so when he read what was on it.

It had been an hour since he’s looked them over and still, he could not come up with a reason as to why she never brought this to his attention.

But mostly, he was beating himself up for not taking action sooner.

He wanted to bang himself against the wall and cry.

He wasn’t there when she got bullied in grade and middle school. He wasn’t there when she spiraled down the lonesome lane and closed herself off. He wasn’t there when she locked herself inside her room countless times and didn’t come out until the next day because she was sleeping; drowning out the rest of the world.

But, he was there when she had regularly stared off into space with hopelessness in her eyes. He was there when she said stuff, did things, reacted differently than the norm when something drastic happened and would see her explode over nothing serious—or at least serious enough to warrant flipping over tables and throw glass cups at the floor.

He had seen all the signs. He has witnessed them plenty of times. Yet, he had dismissed every one of them because his parents eventually did and since they were the two smartest people he knew, he didn’t question it.

He now realized how wrong the ignorance was.

A single tear fell. Then two. Then three.

He buried his face in his palms, leaned on the coffee table, and sobbed.

“I’m sorry,” Matt whispered at the haunted openness of the empty apartment. “I’m so sorry, Katie…”  


* * *

  
Pidge’s legs felt like they were going to fall off.

She hadn’t done this much walking since... well, ever. She’d always been an indoor kind of girl and rarely worked out for this long. Thirty minutes max on the treadmill was all she did a few times a week at her building’s gym. When she was feeling more pumped than usual, she’d go on for a bit longer or lift a few weights.

Right now, she wasn’t feeling pumped at all.

“Do you need me to carry you?” Keith asked, looking over his shoulder.

“No,” Pidge gruffed. “But can I get a minute? My sides are cramping.”

“I can carry you. It’s no big deal.”

“And have you drop me again? No thanks.”

Keith sighed. “I only did that to wake you up.”

“I’m not taking any chances.”

They stopped to rest in a vacant area beside the trail. Pidge unceremoniously dropped her bag on the ground and perched herself on top of it. Keith remained standing beside her.

“How much longer until we get there?”

“An hour, although if we keep stopping…”

“Hey, at least I’m doing this!”

“Drink.” Keith shoved a water bottle in her hand. “Hydrate. Maybe it’ll get you some of your energy back, and shut you up for a bit.”

Pidge snatched it out his grasp and threw a glare. “What a gentleman.”

“Only the finest for a fair lady like you.”

She rolled her eyes and gulped down the refreshing water, not bothering to demand what he meant behind that statement.  


* * *

  
As much as Matt would like to think he knew Pidge better than anyone else in the world, there were some things he was left in the dark about. He learned this when he caught her sneaking out in the middle of the night one time when they were still living under their parents roof.

\---

_“Where are you going?” Matt asked. “It’s three in the morning!”_

_Pidge shrugged nonchalantly in the dimmed hallway; like she hadn’t startled the living crap out of her brother a moment ago. “To a party.”_

_“A party?” He scanned her up and down, seeing her fully dressed to go out. “Katie, what the hell?!”_

_”Hey, keep it down!” Pidge quietly shouted through her teeth. “You’re gonna wake mom and dad up!”_

_“What is the matter with you?” He took her by the arm and yanked her close. “Do you have any idea how reckless you’re behaving? Don’t you have a press release in the morning for your win at FRC?”_

_“So what? I’ll be back for that. I’m not gonna be late.”_

_“You can’t pull an all-nighter.”_

_“Uh, y_ _eah I can. I’ve done it before.”_

_A horrible thought flashed through Matt’s mind. “You’re not doing drugs, are you?”_

_“What? No!” Pidge ripped herself from his grasp. “Why the_ _—I can’t believe you just asked me that! I would never do something so stupid!”_

_She wouldn’t. She knew better. He knew she knew better. Especially with all the horror stories constantly being told to them._

_“Okay, okay. I'll admit I was out of line just now,” Matt apologized and sighed, deflating his stance calmly. “But, why are you doing this? It doesn’t seem like you.”_

_“Oh, because someone like me isn’t expected to go out and have a good time, right?” Pidge huffed and crossed her arms._

_“That’s not it at all. I think you deserve it more than anyone else, but you’re doing this like you’re rebelling, and that’s definitely not you.”_

_“No. Only I know myself. Better than anyone else. Even better than you!”_

_His eyes bugged in response. Pidge has never snapped at him like that before. Ever._

_“Katie… what’s gotten into you?” Matt whispered._

_She didn’t bothering answering. Instead, she stormed back into her room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang._

\---

Looking back at this memory, Matt started connecting the dots and could now clearly see when Pidge’s bipolarism began to surface.  


* * *

  
“We gotta do _what_ now?”

“We’re going to climb up to the top.”

“Oh. Okay. No big deal.” Pidge nodded up at the dangerous-looking, jagged rock wall with a tight lip. “Except when I slip and fall to my death!”

“So then don’t slip and you won’t die,” Keith instructed casually.

“Easier said than done.”

“It’s your job to make it as simple as it can be.”

“I’m not doing this.” Pidge stepped back and shook her head. “No way my ass is getting up there.”

“Why not?”

“Uh, I’m gonna die?”

“You won’t,” Keith said confidently. “You’re too stubborn for that.”

It was supposed to be an insult, but it sounded like a compliment. One that’s got Pidge glancing off into the opposite direction to hide a blush from his view.

“What’s up there anyway? More views of the pretty mountains?”

Keith smirked. “Only one way to find out.”

Pidge groaned and dropped her head back.  


* * *

  
Allura sat quietly on the sofa of Pidge’s apartment, directly across from Matt. Her ankles were crossed and her hands were folded neatly on her lap. She stared at the carpeted floor with a troubled expression; brows furrowed together looking deep in thought.

Matt swallowed nervously. She has been like this for awhile.

Eventually, her sapphire eyes raised to meet his. They were hardened like a glare, but with a sympathetic touch to them.

“I don’t know,” she responded, voice tight. “What you’re asking of me is... is…”

“It’s risky,” Matt finished for her.

“It’s also illegal. You’re asking me to impersonate your sister over the phone to collect more of her medical information.”

“I don't want to know anything personal. I just need to know how long she’s known about this, how many tests she’s done, and who her doctor is.” Matt reached for the manilla folder on the table and flipped it open to reveal a stack of papers inside. “These are all bills for her physical exams and psychiatric assessments and yet, I don’t see a single one for prescriptions or therapy sessions.”

Allura frowned at the documents, noticing something while skimming through them. “She’s not using her insurance…”

“Because she doesn’t have an individual one for herself. She only has a couple through each of our parents. If she had used either one, they would’ve been the ones getting these bills through the mail.”

“So, Katie is hiding this from your mom and dad. From all of you.”

Matt lowered his gaze sadly to the floor. “Yeah…”

Allura sighed heavily and got up to sit beside him. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“Why would she do that? I apologize if I’m stepping over my boundaries, but if I am going to do this huge favor for you, I’ve got to know.”

Any other day, Matt would’ve been thrilled to be holding hands with her. He’s had a massive crush on her since Shiro introduced them to each other and had been figuring out ways to get closer to her.

But right now, he felt pitied.

“Okay.” He nodded in understanding. “I’ll tell you.”  


* * *

  
This wasn’t fun. This wasn’t fun at all.

Pidge heard the rocks crumbling away beneath her feet and blood pumping relentlessly through her ears. She kept her head still, focusing on balance while her breath labored. She was certain her heart was going to leap out of her chest.

“Take it nice and slow,” Keith advised from above, effortlessly pulling himself up another feet.

Pidge snorted, thinking how Lance would’ve made a terrible sexual joke out of that.

“We’re halfway there. You’re doing a great job, Katie.”

“I can’t feel my arms and my thighs are burning.” She rested her forehead defeatedly on the rock wall. “This is it. This is how I’m gonna go out. At least I had a good life, I think.”

“Don’t lock your knees and shake your arms one at a time if you need to. Keep the blood flowing throughout your body. Circulation is important.”

Pidge grunted as she took a step on a ledge and reached for a hand-held. She winced in pain when her fingers grabbed a sharp corner.

“You okay?” Keith peeked down. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Seriously, don’t lie to me.”

“I think my fingers are bleeding,” she said and flexed them. “Under my nails, I mean.”

Keith observed her stance for a brief moment before turning his attention back up the wall. He squinted, estimating the distance left to climb.

“Just a little bit more to go. You can do this,” he insisted. “I know you won’t let a little bit of pain stop you. Breathe slower—in and out—you’ll be at the top before you know it.”

Pidge shook her arms one at a time and tiptoed her way up another ledge to be within reach of another one. She successfully scaled herself higher and paused tiredly, wishing she had some of the faith Keith seemed to have for her.  


* * *

  
“Katie was seven when the school board labeled her a gifted kid. Not gifted in a way where her mind was academically a single grade level higher than her peers. It was more like five—pretty extraordinary for someone her age. It was so out of this world that the town’s newspaper did an article about her. Front page too.”

Matt scrolled through the album on his phone until he found the picture he was looking for. He handed it to Allura for her to see.

“That’s remarkable…” she mused while studying the image. “She is so adorable, and you two look so much alike!”

“People mixed us up all the time, until she started growing out her hair and I decided to add more protein to my diet.”

Allura chuckled and returned his phone. “I bet she’s beautiful now. How many admirers did you have to fend off of her?”

“Not many, actually.” Matt frowned. “She never wanted go out—at least initially.”

Allura could sense the difficult part of the story was coming up and rubbed his back. “Take your time. There’s no rush.”

He smiled softly at her kind gesture and continued.

“I didn’t understand a lot of it myself when we were growing up. I mean, we were only four years apart. While others may have seen it as a huge difference when it came to teenagers, not a single one of them knew what it was like to have a younger sibling who was as smart as them. One that would sit in a couple of their high school classes together.

“By the time Katie became a freshman, she was already receiving a buttload of scholarships. They would range from a couple hundreds to thousands of dollars. It was crazy, and for every state competition she won, we’d have sponsors, education representatives, and district officials coming to our doorstep to interview her. My parents were very careful on who they selected for her to talk to. They practically managed her spotlight.

“After she graduated high school at 16, I think that’s when the pressure finally started to get to her. It was like she woke up one day and out of the blue, realized she had not only our family's household name to uphold to, but another one specifically under her that somehow crept into her life.”

Matt shifted until he was was leaning forward, hands clasped together while his elbows rested on his knees. His thumbs mindlessly tugged the sleeves of his jacket as he stared straight ahead with a faraway look.

“Suddenly, there was this immense amount of pressure to be number one. Pressure to remain at the top of her classes. Pressure to always win first place in competitions. Pressure to participate in activities people expected of her to be a part of rather than what she wanted to do. It was cruel, but if her grades had slipped or her attendance faltered, she would’ve lost everything she worked hard to gain. She still can if she doesn’t stick to the agreement she signed with all the sponsors paying for her education. One of them being she had to keep a certain image that was tasteful to them. Naturally, the pressure increased tenfold when she knew what was at stake.

“When it became too much, my parents tried to get her to step away from her academics for a bit so she could, you know, live a little. Katie took that as them not having enough faith in her studies and blew up on them many times. I was concerned the first time it happened, but when I had expressed my worries to my parents, they chalked it up as her just being a dramatic teenager. I think for them, that was the easiest and safest explanation to believe. I trusted them, so, I believed it too.

“Katie and I stayed connected when I went off to college. We talked daily and I visited often. We hung out as much as possible. From what I saw, it seemed like she had taken some of the edge off of her shoulders and was finally calming down. She promised me she would cut back on her studies and let herself have some fun. She became good friends with Lance and Hunk and it made me happy to hear she was finally loosening up.

“But, then I started catching her sneaking out our parents house to attend these wild parties. She would leave at random times of the day and not return until the middle of the night. Sometimes I wouldn't even see her until the next morning. She was also suddenly going out with guys who I never thought in a million years she would be interested in and it baffled me. It was like she didn’t have standards.”

“Like Dominique,” Allura said bitterly.

Matt nodded. “And other guys before him. I mean, she’d always break up with them before anything serious ever happened, but then she’d go right back and is with another deadbeat and it’s just—I don’t know—confusing as hell. In between the times when she was single, she’d go back to disappearing again whenever she felt like it and I never knew where she went— _ever_. She wouldn’t tell me, and when she would come back, I never knew which Katie I was going to get; the one who was sorry for acting immature or the one who didn’t give a fuck about the consequences of her actions."

“Did your parents ever find out?”

He shook his head. “I would cover for her, and for the times she did get caught, she would lie to them; saying she accidentally fell asleep in her car while parked outside the house or something. Katie knew all the right ways to manipulate our parents into believing her stories, no matter how outrageous they were.”

Matt stayed silent for a long time after that, replaying all of Katie’s lies inside his head and all the times she would wake up the next morning with her face buried in a textbook. It was hard to conclude she was secretly using illegal substances during her questionable nights out since she never showed signs of paranoia or other symptons. It puzzled him more on what the hell she could’ve been doing all those times.

Maybe... Maybe Katie wasn’t doing anything at all. Maybe she was just having an unexplainable mania phase, which could mean even _she_ didn’t know why she was behaving like that herself.

Still, if she didn't take responsibility of her mental health soon, her episodes could land her in major trouble. One that can risk her life.

“Which number do I call?”

“Hmm?” Matt blinked out of his daze. “What?”

“I see several numbers on this document.” Allura pointed at the bottom of the paper. “Is it the first one?”

His eyes widen. “You’ll... You'll actually do it?”

“Of course. I can tell how much this is upsetting you. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“I…Allura, you’re amazing. Thank you.” Matt smiled. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Buy me tea for a month and we’ll call it even.” She winked. “That means you’ll have to come with me and Shiro to purchase them. Actually, he wouldn’t mind a treat from you too.”

Matt’s face flushed as he stuttered out incoherent noises. He immediately snapped his head down to dial the number on his phone, then paused.

“Your accent—”

“What accent?” Allura asked with a dramatic change in her voice—completely flat and relaxed compared to her British tone.

Matt gaped. “That’s incredible... you sound perfect!”

“Thanks man.”

He stifled back a laugh and handed Allura his phone.

She rolled her eyes playfully at him and waited for someone to pick up the line.

“Seriously, thank you,” Matt whispered. “I really do appreciate this.”

Allura responded with a gentle smile.  


* * *

  
“You’re almost there!”

“No, I’m not…” Pidge whined.

“Yes, you are. Only 10 more steps!”

“That’s not close at all!”

“Come on. Grab that ledge shaped like a lizard and pull yourself up.”

Pidge growled in the back of her throat and followed as Keith instructed. She took a deep breath and hauled herself upward, ignoring how more tiny pebbles fell away beneath her feet. A bead of sweat dripped down her chin as she gritted her teeth, looking up at Keith to see him on all fours at the top, staring at her patiently and intently.

“You can do it,” he said. “I know you can.”

Pidge sighed, exhausted, and rested her chin on a hand-held. She would rather descend down the thirty foot rock wall than climb up the rest of the way. Less exertion, she thought.

“You really need to learn how to get out of your comfort zone.”

She scrunched her brows together and glared. “Excuse me?”

“When was the last time you did anything that was fun for yourself?” Keith asked. “No academics, no school, no competitions—just you having a blast and losing your inhibitions.”

“You know I have a reputation to keep up with, right? If the people—who are signing my scholarship checks by the way—suddenly see a picture of me online acting wild, I’ll get in trouble.”

“That’s the beauty of this road trip; no matter where we go or who we run into, there’s an unlikely chance they’ll recognize either of us. To them, we’re just another pair of strangers passing through. They don’t know a thing about us and they don’t know a thing about you.”

Having the air stolen out her lungs was the last thing Pidge wanted, but how else was she supposed to react with Keith smiling tenderly at her?

“Look, from what I can tell, you have two options.” He lowered himself to lay on his stomach and rested his arms on the edge of the wall. “You can either stay as the same girl—the one who is getting tired of staying inside the perfect bubble—or you can be the girl who redefines herself and be the person she’s always wanted to become.”

Keith’s words struck Pidge like an electric shock. They made her breath hitch and eyes bugged.

“It’s up to you,” he continued and extended his hand. “But I know which one you want to choose and I’m gonna help you get there. You just gotta push yourself a little more until you get to me. I’ll pull you up. I promise.”

Pidge remained quiet, absorbing all of Keith’s words while staring at his hand, being reminded of the last time he held it out like this.

\---

_“Let’s go on an adventure,” Keith repeated. “Me and you. You and me. Let’s get in your car and just drive somewhere.”_

\---

A cool breeze swept by, raising her locks midair and chilling her skin. The leaves danced around her while the harmonious chirps coming from the trees had silenced. Her heart raced as she gripped the ledges with a newfound resolve and steel determination in her eyes.

“I can do this,” Pidge said confidently. “If I need help, I’ll let you know.”

Keith smirked and nodded. “You got it.”  


* * *

  
Shiro arrived at Pidge’s apartment by the time Allura was done talking to the hospital. Matt let him in while she scribbled down some information on a notepad.

“I came here as fast as I could. My shift at work ran a little later than usual,” Shiro explained as he followed Matt into the living room and surveyed the place. “Are you sure it’s okay for us to be here? I feel like we’re trespassing.”

“It’s fine. I barge in here all the time,” Matt revealed.

“Yeah, but Katie and I don't share the same blood. I haven’t even met her yet and I’m standing in the middle of her home. Does she know we’re all here?”

“No, and she’s not going to.”

Shiro frowned. “What’s going on? Is everything okay with her and Keith?”

“They’re fine. I talked to Katie earlier.” Matt nervously rubbed his arms. “I asked you to come by because there’s something I wanted to tell you about her and it only felt right if I do it face-to-face.”

Shiro eyed him with concern. “Are you sure everything is fine? This sounds serious.”

“Nothing that can’t be dealt with properly,” Allura assured and went to stand beside Matt. “I know how you feel about the subject, but I think it’s important for you to remember who this is we’re talking about before you think of the worst.”

Shiro’s frown deepened. He had a dreadful feeling about this.  


* * *

  
The second Pidge scaled up the last feet of the rock wall and threw herself over the top, she rolled over and excitedly sprung up on her feet. She shrieked in victory and bounced around Keith, disregarding how all her sweat was making her clothes stick to her like a second skin.

“Holy shit—I did it!” she yelled. “I did it! I did it! I did it!”

Keith laughed and seized her arms to steady her in place before she got too close to the edge. “See, I knew you could.”

“It sucked ass doing it, but damn, it feels fucking _amazing_ to be up here!” Pidge jumped for emphasis, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I have you to thank for. If it wasn’t for you, I’d never in a million years would’ve done this.”

“All I did was nudge you in the right direction.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”

“It is to me.” She grabbed his hand and placed it over her chest, where her heart was beating erratically. “Do you feel this? _This_ is what I’ve always wanted to experience after being rewarded for all the hard work I’ve done. I’ve never been through this high before in my life after I’ve accomplished something.” She tightened her grip on him. “I’m thrilled. I’m _happy.”_

Tears stained Pidge’s cheeks. They descended down her face and fell on Keith’s knuckles with light taps. He swallowed and instinctively curled his fingers around hers.

He could kiss her. He could bend his head down right now and capture her lips easily. The moment was perfect—practically begging for it to happen; urging him to make the first move.

He took a step closer and wrapped an arm around her waist, securing his hold.

He leaned his face forward and tilted his head, speeding up his own heart rate.

They were a few inches apart, just a single move away from connecting their lips—from taking the next step to their newfound friendship.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally moved.

To embrace her.

Pidge instantly melted against his body and closed her eyes. She was bathed in his warmth and protection, sighing contently as she relaxed.

Keith buried his face in her shoulder, rubbing her back gently while inhaling her unique scent.

“Good,” he whispered, lids shutting halfway. “If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you, Katie.”

A minute of comfortable silence passed between them. Then—

“Pidge.”

Keith slightly turned his head questionably. “Hmm?”

“Pidge. You can call me Pidge. It’s what the closest people in my life call me.”

He blinked a couple times before pulling away to look at her. “Really?”

She nodded. “I think you’ve earned it.”

“I think I’ve earned a lot of things.”

“Oh? Like what?”

Keith detached himself from her arms completely and ruffled her head. “I’ll need to think about it down the road.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. _“Fine.”_ She stepped around him. “So, aside from the near-death rock climbing experience, what else is here?”

“Just a riverbank over there. It’s a nice sight.” Keith pointed. “Nothing else really.”

When Pidge left his side to walk over and look, his pocket suddenly started to vibrate like crazy. Puzzled and alarmed, he quickly took out his phone and saw a dozen missed calls and text messages from Shiro. Wow, cellular service really sucked out here.

\---

_1:03 PM: (12) Missed Calls Shiro_

**_Shiro (1:03 PM):_ **  
_Keith_  
  
**_Shiro (1:03 PM):_ ** _  
Pick up_

 **_Shiro (1:03 PM):_ ** _  
_ _I need to talk to you_

\---

Those were the only ones he read before he heard a sickening splash from afar.

“Pidge?!” Keith cried out frantically and rushed in the direction he had last seen her go to. _“Pidge!”_

Laughter reached his ears by the time he looked over the edge of the cliff. His jaw dropped in disbelief.

There—swimming in the middle of the riverbank in her undergarments—was Pidge. She grinned up at him and waved.

“Are you fucking insane?!” Keith gestured with his hands wildly. “You almost gave me a heart attack! What if you had gotten hurt?!”

“I didn’t, so that question is irrelevant.” Pidge smirked.

“I don’t think the park allows people to be in the waters.” Or have them be half-naked.

“What’s the point of having an adventure if you can’t break the rules here and there?”

“You know we can get banned from here, right?” He was _really_ trying his best to keep a straight face and _not_ think about how much wet cleavage she was showing.

Pidge shrugged. “There will be other parks. Besides, you only live once, so why not make the most of it?”

Keith opened and closed his mouth several times to reply until he decided against further arguing. She made an excellent point. Well, at least in his mind, it was.

“Come on, Keith!” She splashed water to the empty space in front of her. “Strip off your clothes and jump in!”

He glanced over to this right and saw her pile of clothes and shoes thrown carelessly near the bushes. He blushed, remembering how she was in the water with only her bra and underwear on.

“Keeeeeeith.”

“Give me ten minutes and I’ll be in there with you. I have to get down first with your stuff or else, you’ll have to climb up here again to put your clothes back on.”

By the realization dawning on Pidge’s face, he could tell that the predicament had completely gone over her head. “Right. Good call. Thank you.”

He chuckled and shook his head. She may be book smart, but he’s going to need to teach her how to be _spontaneously_ smart.

Well, at least she had leaped out of her comfort zone on her own, which was a progress Keith had wanted the most out of her.

He checked his phone again and scrolled through his text messages. He raised a brow when he read a recent one from Allura.

\---

 **_Allura (1:10 PM):_ ** _  
_ _You don’t need to pick up for Shiro. He was just worried once again about you visiting your birth mother. Everything is fine here. Nothing for you to be concerned over. I hope you’re having fun!_

\---

Keith sighed. When will Shiro understand he wasn’t going to change his mind no matter what? He understood that his birth mother was diagnosed with mixed bipolar disorders and had chosen alcohol and cocaine over him after his father passed away, but if he was going to hear about the tragic tale of his broken family, then he wanted to hear it from her and no one else. She owed him at least that much.

\---

 **_Keith (1:13 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Thanks. I’ll keep you guys posted._

 **_Allura (1:14 PM):_ **  
_No problem!_ _  
-inserts winky emoticon-_

\---

“Are you still up there?” Pidge hollered.

Keith quickly tied her shoelaces together and placed them carefully around his neck, along with her clothes. Once he was certain nothing would fall off or fly away, he gave her a thumbs-up. She giggled and swam in circles while she waited for him. He smiled fondly at her.

Even if the universe had somehow turned back time and gave him the perfect childhood he had wondered many times about, Keith knew in his heart it would pale in comparison to the perfect girl he was on this road trip with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [**tumblr**](http://narycanary.tumblr.com/) | [**twitter**](https://twitter.com/narycanary?lang=en)


	11. Blossoming Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith trusts Pidge with some thoughts he didn't think he'd ever share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank [Zero](http://eravicis.tumblr.com/) for betaing this chapter, giving me the chapter title, and helping me with the summary because everyone who knows me is aware of how much I hate writing summaries UGH THEY ARE THE WORST FOR ME...

Keith never made it to the riverbank to join Pidge.

In fact, the park rangers had heard a bunch of commotion coming from their direction and since no one but the people who worked there ever went through that area, they decided to go check it out for safety reasons.

To put it simply, they got kicked out, but not before Pidge got in one last swim around the cliff where Keith met her underneath a large tree that hid them from the rangers' view. He helped her get out the water and they ran back to the car as quickly and as quietly as possible.

When they neared the entrance, Keith heard a couple of girls gasping scandalously from the bridge and noticed how a family of six were throwing disapproving looks their way. He was compelled to stop for some unknown reason and questionably glanced behind his shoulder.

A strangled noise was released from his mouth upon seeing the sight of Pidge—who had somehow managed to get her shoes and leggings on while they were running—resting her hands on her knees, panting hard, and was _topless._

Where the hell was her sweater?!

Apparently, it was still around his neck because she reached up and snatched it from his shoulders in a blink of an eye.

She slid the sweater on with lightning speed, but Keith could still see through the garment and envision her small breasts being supported by the simple gray bra perfectly. She had a birthmark above her left one, he noted guiltily.

He turned around and rubbed his eyes, gritting his teeth in aggravation and felt something stir in the pit of his stomach. He was going to need to figure out a way to erase these images from his mind somehow.  


* * *

  
“Geez, what the hell were their problems back there?” Pidge snapped and crossed her arms. “They acted like they’ve never seen a chick walk around with a bra on before.”

“It’s not exactly a normal thing to see,” Keith said. “Plus, there were children and I doubt _they_ have.”

The two were back on the road with Keith behind the wheel and Pidge riding shotgun. The next destination to explore on their list was the Grinnell Glacier (Keith’s choice) located in Montana. Pidge hasn’t decided what she wanted to do yet and left a blank space on the notepad they were using to keep track of the places they have visited. Depending on what her mood will be or what peaked her interest at the time, she will make a decision then.

“Pbft, okay. We’re in the digital era. Am I really supposed to believe they haven’t already seen some weird shit online? I discovered what porn was when I was twelve. I’m sure it was the same for you.”

“I don’t remember. I was never the type that liked staying in all day and surf the web. I’ve always preferred being out.”

“I guess, but still. You can go to the beach and find boobs that are barely covered at all. Hell, some will be out in the open. How is that any different or worse than me not wearing a sweater?”

Keith clenched his fingers tight around the steering wheel. Were they seriously having this conversation? He could hardly concentrate on driving without imagining her sitting beside him wearing nothing but a bra and underwear.

“It’s just not appropriate for everyone,” he managed to ground out with a dry throat.

She raised a brow at him. “Is that what you think?”

“I-It doesn’t really matter what I—”

“I know you’ve been to a few beach parties around our town. You must see boobs all the time.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Ugh, don’t tell me you don’t believe in the Free the Nipple campaign—”

“That’s not—” Keith tried, but was interrupted again.

“Wait, are you not into girls? Is that why seeing my boobs freaked you out?”

“No! That’s not—Agh, goddammit Pidge! Do you have _any_ idea how ridiculously attractive you are? I got stumped because I wasn’t expecting to see you like that and I liked it, okay? Pretty sure anyone with a good eye was drooling back there seeing you like that.”

…

…

…

A full, tensed minute had passed before Keith realized what just came out his mouth.

Panic settled in his chest as all the emergency alarms fired off inside his head. He began stuttering out an apology when—

“Well, well, well. It looks like I’m not the only one that does the ogling. I guess I should _also_ be careful of sleeping naked in the same room as you.”

Through the fog of horror and embarrassment, it took Keith another moment to catch on to what she meant and whom she got that line from. He froze as his eyes bugged.

“Yeah, I thought that’d be your reaction.” Pidge smirked and gently fist bumped his chin; much like the time he did it to her when the roles had been reversed. “Keep your eyes on the road, Keith.”

He gulped. He thought he may be suffocating. Or dying from humiliation.

“No, seriously, keep your eyes on the— _Keith, there’s a truck coming right at us!”_

The dreadful sound of frenzied honks finally reached Keith’s ears. The car engine roared as he jerked his head forward and swerved back to their rightful lane. The terrible sounds of the tires screeching against the pavement had them both visibly wincing.

“Fucking shit,” Pidge gasped, holding onto his shoulder and clutching her chest. The trunk drove past them without a problem. “We almost _died.”_

Keith exhaled heavily through his mouth and dropped his head back. He was driving a little under the speed limit; enough to get his heart rate to calm down.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I—”

“It’s cool.” She smirked. “I just won’t talk about my naked boobs to you again.”

He didn’t even have it in him to make a remark or give a sarcastic reply. He stayed silent, cranked up the radio, focused on the road, and purposely avoided looking at Pidge for the next hour.  


* * *

  
“Did you make the pre-cut for the NASA internship?”

Pidge sprung the question out of nowhere and it had Keith doing a double-take. Very brief ones. He still couldn’t get certain images out of his mind.

“How do you know about that?”

“Lance called me the other day about it. He got in so he’s stoked. He’s pretty sure you made it too.”

“I did.”

“Wait, really?” Pidge frowned. “How come you didn’t tell me?”

Keith shrugged. “It’s just the pre-cut. Nothing major. I haven’t secured my spot yet so I don’t see the point in making a big deal about it.”

“Only it _is_ a big deal. This is NASA we’re talking about! What happened to your excitement to explore space?”

“I’d rather not have high hopes in case I don’t get in. There’s hundreds of people applying for this program across the country and only one of us will make it in. It’s better to have low expectations than be disappointed.”

Pidge hummed. She understood, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. From what she knew, Keith was an extraordinarily gifted individual with mad piloting skills. NASA would have to be crazy not to want him.

Just like whoever broke his heart.

\---

_“Grumpy,” she muttered and received a scowl. “Do you have a significant other or somebody you’re currently talking to on the down low?”_

_“No.”_

_“Have you ever?”_

_Silence._

_Pidge turned her head to look at Keith curiously and felt a large stone fall into the pit of her stomach. There was a far-away gaze stamped in his eyes and his hardened jaw line became slack. His face was entirely blank; void of emotion. Even his shoulders had dropped completely._

\---

Was she crazy herself for suddenly thinking about this memory? She hadn't been able to stop wondering about it since their moment on the cliff.

Maybe it was the trick of the blinding sunlight or her undeniable attraction to Keith, but she could've sworn that when he had his arm around her and leaned his face in, he was about to… to…

Pidge pressed down a button on the door to slide the window down.

Air. She needed some fresh air.  


* * *

  
To save some money and their sanity, the two road-trippers decided it was best to spend the night at a rest stop in Idaho.

Keith had been driving for seven hours straight. If the dashboard hadn’t notified him that the car’s gas tank was running low, he would’ve continued for a little while longer.

“I’m driving the rest of the way tomorrow,” Pidge said. “You need a break.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, but _I_ do.” She got out the car and stretched out her arms above her head, tilting side to side to relieve her muscle joints. “Come on, let’s fill the tank and grab some real food to eat; I’m tired of munching on snacks.”

Keith exited the vehicle as well and hip-checked the door, surveying their surroundings with narrowed eyes. It’s dark and there wasn't a lot of people, but the last time he and Pidge were in a similar situation, someone had been following them. They hadn’t been dangerous in the least, but it didn't hurt to be too careful.

Pidge noticed him playing bodyguard and sighed. This boy...  


* * *

  
“I thought by now my body odor would stink up the car, but then I remembered I jumped in a river this morning so technically, I took a bath with nature.”

Keith paused mid-bite into his sandwich, gave Pidge a strange look, then barked out a laugh.

“What?” She scowled. “What’s so damn funny?”

“You,” he answered. “You’re so random. You say pretty much anything that's on your mind and you don’t care.”

“I don’t.”

“I know, and I think it’s pretty badass.”

“You don’t have to tell me that.” She kicked her feet up on the dashboard and sipped her water bottle. “I’m aware.”

Keith flicked over a tiny roll of paper at her head. She glared and retaliated by throwing a bottle cap at him. As usual, he dodged.

“Careful with the confidence. You’ll chase all the boys and girls away.”

Pidge shrugged. “I’m more of the flying solo type anyway.”

“... Didn’t you _just_ have a boyfriend?”

“We do not discuss the colossal mistakes from my past, thank you very much. I’m sure you know what it feels like to want to leave something behind.”

Keith tossed a piece of bread in the air and caught it effortlessly with his mouth. “I know what it feels like, but not in the way you’re probably thinking.”

“How so?”

“I’ve… I've never been in a relationship before.”

Pidge couldn’t keep the shock from her face if she tried. She bolted herself upright like a springboard and stared directly at him in disbelief.

This had Keith glowering at her. “You know your whole reaction screams offensive, right?”

“I’m sorry. I’m just… I'm just having a hard time believing you’ve never been with anybody. You’re so… “ She trailed off and turned her head, suddenly looking—was that a blush on her face? “How come?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“I was never all that good at connecting with people,” Keith admitted, glancing out the window. “When I moved in with Shiro’s family, it took me a year to finally open up to him and I didn’t really talk to anyone at school. A few people here and there maybe, but I never stuck around. Constantly moving from one foster home to another made it hard to keep friendships, so I just didn’t. Not even with the other kids I was living with.”

Pidge wanted to press for more information, but it was clear he didn’t want to delve into this topic more than he already cared to share. His body language was entirely rigid.

Silence stretched between them, with the occasional sounds of other vehicles pulling in and out the parking lot and the night guard’s loud footsteps walking around the perimeter. There were only three other cars parked in the overnight area with them and a motorbike down at the far end. It wasn’t too crowded, thankfully, and that meant it’ll be easier to fall asleep tonight.

For the first time in her life, instead of being the go-getter she naturally was to hungrily pursue knowledge, Pidge bit down her curiosity and—

“Want to watch a movie until we knock out?”

When his baffled eyes turned to stare at her in question, she simply reached for her bag underneath the seat and pulled out her laptop.

“I don’t remember what I have in here,“ she began and turned it on, “so you can look and pick what you want to watch. Or we can play some games. I do have controllers somewhere around here…”

“I seriously thought you’d be asking a million questions right now after what I just told you.”

“What kind of friend would I be if I forced you to tell me?” Pidge murmured. “Just because you know my baggage, doesn’t mean you’re obligated to tell me yours. If you want to tell me, you most definitely can. I’ll listen, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll still be here with you either way.”

Keith’s stomach stirred again, but for an entirely different reason. It was fluttering like crazy and refused to settle. It spread gradually until it reached his chest and enveloped his heart with its welcoming warmth.

He didn't know what to say, so he didn’t utter a single word. Not when Pidge had asked him again what movie he wanted to see. Not when she asked if he was okay with her making a choice. Not when she clicked on a random movie on the screen and securely placed the laptop on the dashboard. Not when she inclined her seat back to lie down and tossed an extra pillow over to him.

She didn’t seem offended at all that he was giving her the silent treatment. Instead, she continued to talk here and there as if he was holding up his part of the conversation. When it was a question, she’d wait a moment, look over at him to see if he would answer, and then ramble away again. He’s not sure what movie they were watching and it didn’t really matter since he wasn’t paying much attention to it anyway.

His mind wandered off to his birth mother. He had a picture of her hidden in a secret pocket inside his backpack, where she was holding baby Keith in her arms with a bright smile on her face. She looked happy, healthy, and sober.

So what had changed? He knew his father passed away when he was still an infant, but had that really been the catalyst to his mother’s addiction problems? From what Shiro told him, she had been fine for awhile and was trying to be strong for herself and for the family she had left. She was going to work, taking her medications, and doing her best as a single parent raising Keith on her own.

There was so much he wanted to ask her and honestly, he was dreading it, and he didn't know why.

A soft snore shook him out his thoughts as he blinked over to Pidge. She was curled up in a ball, facing him, eyes closed, with her face resting on her palms and hair falling over her shoulders. She was sound asleep with her mouth ajar.

He smiled. She looked so damn cute.

He closed the laptop and placed it carefully in the backseat, aware she would murder him if he didn’t. He cracked open a couple windows inside the car and threw a blanket over her.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, making himself comfortable.

As he closed his eyes, Pidge blearily opened hers a moment later, smiled, and then resumed back to sleep.  


* * *

  
Downtown Bozeman was where a lot of folks tend to go to when they have free time to kill. For Pidge and Keith, it was the perfect place to go hunting for food while they waited for the hotel to prepare their room that she had booked in advance.

“My stomach is caving in,” Pidge groaned. “I feel the acid drilling a hole into my intestines.”

“You’re awfully graphic, you know that?”

“Tell me that’s not what you’re feeling too.”

Keith sighed. He is, but he didn't need to be reminded of it.

Pidge looked ahead from the parking lot to the shops and cafes she could see. Her stance faltered. Could she even eat anything here? What if all the restaurants had nothing for her? She didn’t want to deprive Keith from eating what he wanted to try. She supposed she could make do with copious amounts of salad…

“What are you in the mood for?” Keith asked, locking the car with a beep.

“Food.”

He was accustomed to her smart mouth that he wasn't even fazed. “What kind?”

“I don't know.” She shrugged. “Just pick a place that catches your eye and I’ll find something. I always do.”

Keith nodded and crossed his arms, tapping his arm with a finger. “I’m thinking Asian.”

“What? Really?” Pidge blinked. “But there’s like, loads of pubs and burger joints. They’re really good from what I've read online.”

“I can go to pubs and burger joints back home. Besides, this is a win-win for us. You have more options where you won’t be nitpicking things you don’t like on your food and I’ll have whatever I feel like stuffing my face into.”

“Keith…"

He snapped his head down upon hearing the soft tone in her voice. His eyes went wide when he saw her smiling.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “It means a lot that you’re taking me into consideration.”

Keith wasn't sure whether he should be glad or upset. On the one hand, he’s thrilled she was thankful because of him. On the other, has it really always been like this for her? He doesn’t know when she decided to eat vegan, but he’s sure it’s been at least a couple years and yet, she still struggled to accommodate for other people’s needs over hers?

Fuck that. Never under his watch will she struggle again. Not if he could do something about it.  


* * *

  
For a guy who was set on eating Asian food, Keith sure as hell wasn’t doing much looking for it.

“Did you catch anything on that side of the street?” Pidge asked and then huffed irritably when she saw him on his phone _again._

“No,” he eventually answered.

“That better be Google maps you keep looking at.”

“It’s something better.”

“Like what?”

Keith finally raised his head and scanned the area until—

“There,” he pointed.

Pidge followed his line of vision. “What am I looking at?”

“The vegan bakery in the corner. The one with the green cupcake above the door that’s lighting up.”

Her eyes darted around in furrowed confusion until it landed on precisely what Keith just described. She gasped.

The shop looked like a place people could easily glance over without much thought, but once they know it was there, it was hard to miss. Ironically, it stood out among the rest of the stores in the same block with a huge glass window covered in bunny stickers and fake, colorful plants decorating around the edges. There was even a statue of a giant rabbit by the door holding a chalkboard, which had the specials written in pink handwriting.

Pidge squealed in delight, seized Keith’s wrist, and dragged him down the street.

He smiled, not minding one bit.

As soon as they arrived, Pidge comically pressed her face against the glass window, cupping her hand around her eyes as she peeked through to make sure the place was really what it claimed to be. Upon seeing the gluten-free options on display, she shimmied her shoulders excitedly, took hold of Keith’s wrist again, and went inside.

The delicious, mouth-watering aroma of baked goods had them salivating on the spot. Like a magnet, Pidge was drawn to the cupcakes arranged by flavor on the marbled countertop and found herself hovering above them instantly with hungry eyes. Damn, she wanted all of them…

“Hi.”

Pidge flinched out of her starved daydream and wiped her mouth in case she had been drooling. She raised her head to see a young girl behind the counter with a red apron on, smiling at her and Keith.

“Hey,” Keith greeted, “is everything here really vegan?”

“Sure is!” The employee—Olia, it said on her nametag—replied. “You guys new here?”

“Something like that… “

Pidge noticed a batch of pastries on a cake tier to the side and zombie-walked her way over to it.

Keith snorted. “She’s so far gone.”

“It gets like that sometimes.” Olia giggled. “Ever been on this side of town before?”

“Never been in the state before. We’re actually on a road trip.”

“Well aren’t you two lucky to be on an adventure together! I hope it’s going well for you.”

While Keith and Olia were having a small talk, Pidge somehow wandered off into the bread section.

She could practically taste the handmade dough inside her mouth and the toasty, pleasant crunch that would no doubt make her moan. She knew once she took a bite, the soft and delicate crumbs would melt on her tongue and have her questioning what could be better in life than this. She wished she could bottle up all the amazing scents and take it home with her. It was that intoxicating… or maybe she was just that hungry.

“Take what you want. Don’t worry about how much it’ll cost.”

Pidge felt Keith’s hand on her back and stared up at him. “I want everything.”

He chuckled. “Okay, then take everything.”

“I’m serious. I’m gonna devour this whole bakery. There will be nothing left for you.”

“Suit yourself. Don’t come crying to me when your jeans don’t fit you.”

“Screw my jeans. Sweats all the way.”

Keith shrugged and motioned for Olia to come over with a large to-go box. “I’m going to the bathroom so just tell her what you want. Get me something too.”

“I’ll try to remember.”

He tried to hide his grin with a menacing scowl and failed. He couldn’t bring himself to do it when she was this happy.

As he walked away, the familiar warmth from last night came back. It intensified with every step he took.

Right as he reached for the door to the bathroom, he knew what the feeling growing inside his chest was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost called this The Date Chapter.


	12. Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a tendency to push people away before they get too close.

_“You… You went SKINNY DIPPING?!”_

“Wow Lance. Do you want to say that a little louder?” Pidge scowled at the phone pressed against her ear. “I don’t think your brothers and sisters heard you from the other room, and by the way, I wasn’t naked. I still had my bra and underwear on!”

_“That’s considered half-naked to me, which is still a shock coming from you.”_

“What can I say. I was feeling a little _adventurous._ I thought you’d be proud of me.”

_“With you being naked?”_

“I wasn’t naked!”

_“Does Keith agree? Is he hearing all of this? Wait, where is he?”_

“He’s taking a shower right now,” Pidge answered and glanced at the bathroom door where she could hear the water running through the pipes. “We just got to our hotel room a few minutes ago.”

The place was a huge step-up from the last accommodation her and Keith stayed at, thank goodness. Here, she wasn’t worried about the questionable stains on the carpeted floor or the creepy pervert across the hall. The room was nice and cozy; with two twin-sized beds made with clean sheets, simple decor on top of the nightstands and coffee tables to make it homey, and a large flat-screen television on top of the dresser.

 _“Not gonna join him?”_ Lance teased.

“No,” she snapped. It annoyed her how much of his smirk she could sense through the phone. “It’s not like that between me and Keith.”

_“But you want it to be, right?”_

“I don’t know,” Pidge whined and plopped herself down on the window seat the room provided. She hugged her knees with one arm and buried her face in the crook of her elbow. “I think he likes someone else.”

_“Eh? How do you know?”_

“Cause’ he kinda told me. Well, not in so many words, but enough to know… yeah.”

_“But he didn’t say it.”_

“He doesn’t need to. I mean, he said it was something in the past, but you should’ve seen his face when he mentioned it. He looked so… dead. Like he wasn’t over that person.”

_“Just because he may be hung up on somebody else doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance. You have an advantage here_ _—you’re on a road trip together! What can be more romantic than that?”_

“I can think of a couple things…” Pidge muttered bitterly, then sighed. “Never mind. I’m getting ahead of myself. I should stop thinking about this and just have fun with the time we have left. I don’t know what’s gonna happen after this is over and I really don’t want to think about it.”

_“You don’t think you two will continue to talk after this?”_

“Maybe, but, I don’t… I don’t think it’ll be anything more than a friendship.” She absentmindedly picked at the loose thread hanging off the cushion seat. “When I think about it, I won’t have the time. I barely hang out with you and Hunk as it is. With the sponsors grilling my ass about maintaining my GPA and keeping up my winning streaks in state competitions, I can’t have any distraction. I need my focus.”

What she needed to do was to remain the best, but she’d never say that out-loud to Lance. Not with how sensitive he can be about the subject.

The sound of the showerhead turning off inside the bathroom had Pidge clearing her throat loudly; a signal to let Lance know Keith was about to come out any minute.

_“Can I just give you one piece of advice before I go to sleep?”_

“Of course.” Pidge straightened her legs out and rested her back against the wall. “What’s up?”

_“If you and Keith happen to, you know, start heading off in that direction, don’t try to stop it.”_

At that moment, the bathroom door opened. Keith walked out barefoot with a plain, dark long-sleeve shirt and burgundy sweatpants with a towel hanging around his neck. Pidge stared at him the entire time with longing as he walked over to his claimed bed and picked up his phone to check his notifications.

_“If you two are meant to go down that road, don’t force a break on it. That actually does more damage than you think. Trust me, I’ve been there, and knowing how you both are, World War III will definitely break out. Let the ride cruise, even if you weren’t planning for it to.”_

She pouted and turned her head away from Keith to look outside the window. She could see some of the mountains from here and wondered if that's where they'll be heading off to tomorrow.

“I’ll keep that mind,” she said. “Goodnight Lance. Stay safe. Don’t trust a pretty face offering you a drink out there.”

_“Not gonna happen. My heart’s already taken by the best man in the world.”_

Pidge smiled. “Gross. You’re such a sap! Talk to you later.”

_“Love you too shorty! And tell the Mullet I said hi.”_

“Will do.”

As soon as the call ended, Keith strode over with a pamphlet in his hand. Pidge shuddered when her nose was instantly assaulted by the spicy scent he brought over.

“What’s this?” she asked, crossing her legs to make room for him to sit.

“A list of things we can do tonight in case we don’t feel like staying in. I found it on the nightstand.” He leaned back against the window pane, crunching the ends of his hair dry with the towel. “Anything stand out to you?”

Pidge glanced over the list with a slight frown. “We probably shouldn’t go out; not if we want our bank accounts to last us all the way to Florida.”

“You didn’t think about that when I bought all those sweets for you earlier.”

She flushed in embarrassment and kneed his hip. “You could’ve said no!”

Keith smirked. “I’m kidding, and unless you’re looking at the five-star restaurants where the appetizer alone is thirty bucks, I don’t mind going out with you.”

Pidge moaned painfully inside. Did he _have_ to say it like that? Better yet, can he stop with the smirking? Their are some things in this world that should be illegal for him to do and his sexy smirk should be one of them. It’s equivalent to a tease; one that’s got her swooning all over again like the first time she saw him.

“I’ll see how I feel after my shower,” she said, getting up. “My body is still sore from rock climbing the other day. I’m aching in places I’ve never ached before.”

“It may be a good idea to take it easy tonight then. We’ll be doing more hiking tomorrow and you need all the rest you can get.”

Pidge exhaled heavily as she stepped away to go retrieve some fresh clothes out her bag. It’s not that she wasn’t looking forward to it (because she totally was now that she's able to look past all the bugs and dirt and everything gross about nature), but she hated being the reason why they take so long hiking anywhere. She had never been a burden to anyone else before and despised being a hindrance to Keith’s selected activities.

She was going to need to do something about that.  


* * *

  
“What are you doing with a bucket full of ice?” Keith’s eyes narrowed in question. “Wait, where did you even get that?”

“There’s an ice machine down at the end of the hallway by the pool area.” Pidge closed the door with her rear and dragged the bucket over to the end of her bed. “I’m going to ice my feet to hopefully alleviate the pain.”

He glared. “It’s hurting that much? Why didn’t you say anything before? If that’s the case, we don’t have to—”

“It’s fine.” She waved off his concern and bent down to fold her pants up to her knees. “Besides, I want to go see that glacier tomorrow. I think it’ll be a _cool_ experience.” She wiggled her brows.

“Emphasis on the cool…" Keith muttered while rolling his eyes. He leaned across his own bed to reach for the food container placed on Pidge’s nightstand. He ripped out a chunk of bread in one of the mini to-go bags and tossed it over to her.

She blinked as she caught it. “Why are you giving me this?”

“Have ever iced your feet before?”

“No, but, it’s pretty self explanatory.”

“Trust me. You’re gonna want something to do to distract you from how uncomfortable that is.” Keith laid down on his side and picked up a remote, turning on the television in front of them. “Watching something helps too.”

The casual pose he was pulling off had Pidge’s insides melting. What the fuck? She has seen good-looking guys run around campus before with nearly nothing on, so why was Keith—who was covered completely from head to toe—making her body heat up like crazy? Oh god, her cheeks were burning up. Her palms have begun to sweat. Her throat was going dry. She needed to… to…

The sudden sound of Pidge shoving her feet into the ice bucket had Keith bolting upright. “Pidge, what the hell?!” He jumped to his feet, rushing his way over to her. “You’ve got to be careful when you do that! You could've cut yourself.”

“This feels oddly soothing,” she moaned, pushing deeper until her soles reached the bottom. “Exactly what I needed.”

Keith frowned. “Don’t you get cold easily?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You get goosebumps fast and you’re always wearing a sweater…"

Pidge didn’t know if his observance was endearing or frightening. At the moment, it’s probably more on the frightening side.

“Don’t leave your feet in there. Take them out in a couple of minutes and then put them back in when you’re ready. The pain should go away after a few minutes,” Keith instructed and went by the door to slide his boots on. “I’m gonna go call Shiro. He’s been bugging me for an update.”

Pidge nodded. “I’ll be here getting a taste of the North Pole.”

“You wouldn’t even last up there.”

“Bite me.”

There was a certain comment threatening to leave Keith’s tongue, but he decided against saying it at the last second. “Be right back. I’ll be out in the hall if you need me.”

Pidge’s eyes shamelessly stayed glued to his firm ass until he left the room.

When he was gone, she dropped back on the bed, threw a pillow over her face, and released a frustrated groan.  


* * *

  
Keith didn’t have to wait long for the ringing to stop, but it wasn’t Shiro who picked up the phone.

 _“Keith!”_ Allura’s voice blared into his ear. _“Hi! How are you? Is everything okay?”_

He stared wordlessly at the floor while piecing together a plausible reason as to why she sounded out of breath and why she was the one answering the call. It didn’t take him long to reach a conclusion.

“You and Shiro are finally rolling in the sheets together?”

 _“Keith!”_ Allura gasped scandalously. _“What—No! Oh for goodness sake, Matt’s here!”_

He blinked thoughtfully to the right, then squinted to the left.

“Wouldn’t you go for either one?”

_“You’re lucky I’m in the kitchen and they’re both in the living room. If they had heard that, I’d end you.”_

“Can I talk to Shiro?” Keith asked impatiently. “I need advice from him.”

_“Regarding?”_

“What do you think?”

_“Hmmm, if this is about Katie, why would you seek Shiro for help? I’m the female, you know.”_

“Yeah, but he’s the one who gets me.”

 _“Ouch. That didn’t hurt at all,”_ Allura replied sarcastically. _“You don’t think I can help?”_

More like it’d be weird if she did. After all, she was the one who broke his heart two years ago...

“I’ll call back if he’s busy.” Keith sighed. He wasn’t in the mood for this. “I didn’t want to take this long and I really need to get back to Katie. She needs me.”

 _“Oh does she?”_ There was an obvious smirk behind her tone.

His forehead ticked in irritation at the insinuation. “Bye Allura.”

_“You’re no fun. Text me later.”_

“Sure.”

Keith hung up the phone and sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. He really needed to talk to Shiro, but not with Allura or Matt within his vicinity. He supposed he could try again later. The night was still young in both their time zones, so hopefully Shiro will still be up by then.

With that in mind, he headed back towards his and Pidge’s room. Right as he got to the door, his phone rang.

Keith frowned in question when he saw it was an incoming call from a number he didn’t recognize. Who the hell…

After a brief deliberation, he answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?”

There was silence on the other end until someone finally spoke. _“Keith? Is that you?”_

His entire facial expression went from apathetic to full-blown, comical confusion.

“L-Lance?!”

 _“The one and only.”_ He chuckled. _“What’s up?”_

For some unknown reason, Keith frantically glanced around the hallway to see if anyone was watching him and cautiously stepped away from the door. He even crouched down to look underneath the doormat.

“How did you get my number?”

_“You mean you don’t have mine?”_

“No,” Keith clipped. “Why the hell would I? Better yet, why are you calling me? Isn’t it the middle of the night for you? Aren’t you somewhere in Europe?”

_“Do you ever give someone a chance to speak?”_

“So then speak!”

_“Jeez, calm down. Damn, I could see why Pidge would be into you. You’re aggressive just like her.”_

Keith squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, growing annoyed with each passing second. He wasn’t in the mood for this either. “Do you have a reason for calling me?”

Lance sucked in a breath upon receiving a response he wasn’t expecting. _“You’re… You’re not freaking out or questioning what I just s-said. Did… Did you hear what I said?”_

Oh, Keith heard him. Loud and clear.

 _“Holy shit,”_ Lance gasped. Keith could hear him shifting quickly on his mattress through the line. _“Are you two already—”_

“No, we’re not together. I figured it out.”

 _“You figured… And you’re not… What the hell is your angle here?”_ Lance demanded with a threatening edge in his voice.

Keith sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour and tilted his head downward. Well, if he needed to talk to someone about Pidge right away, he guessed the next best person to talk to was one of her best friends. He might’ve preferred talking to Hunk about this, but Lance could do for now.  


* * *

  
There was something oddly peaceful about baking in the afternoon soft heat, Pidge established. With the rich fragrance of nature in the air and all the leaves still damped from last night’s rain, all her senses felt refreshed. Her mind was completely at ease; free of anxiety, stress, and worry. It was almost like she was meant to be in this environment.

She breathed in deeply and opened her eyes, taking in the breathtaking view from her place on top of the mountain. It had taken her and Keith all morning to reach here and it was so damn worth it.

The river was surrounded by mountain walls that were as tall as skyscrapers. The path curved and zig-zagged towards a distance that was too far for the naked eye to see. Melted remnants of the winter avalanches coated the rocky surfaces and trees, with some of the brown algae peeking through the white blanket on the shores. About ten miles ahead, there was a group of wild goats drinking water by the streams.

Pidge smiled contently. It was definitely peaceful here.

“Like what you see?”

She hummed in satisfaction and rolled her head to the side to look up at Keith. “You?”

He nodded. “I think this place is better than the last one we went to.”

The sunrays stretched across the river and tingled Pidge’s fingertips. She flexed and clenched them as the wind picked up, lifting her loose, fishtail braid forward and over her chest; where her heart was swelling up with admiration the longer she stared at Keith.

He noticed this through the corner of his eyes and doesn’t say anything. Instead, he motioned over to a shaded spot nearby. “Want to sit?”

She flinched, then shrugged nonchalantly; a weak attempt to shake off the butterflies inside her stomach. “Sure. I’m starving anyway. I think I’m gonna eat.”

Keith silently watched her take a seat on one of the smaller boulders and shrugged off her backpack, sliding it across her lap. She unzipped the front pocket to take a water bottle out and popped the cap open to take a drink. When she noticed him still standing in the same spot, she quirked a brow.

“Is something wrong?” she asked. “If you’re worried about me jumping off the cliff and into the water again, I won’t. Pretty sure I’ll die this time.”

He chuckled and finally moved to sit beside her. “That’s not it. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“You.” He glanced over to see the redness on her cheeks surfacing. It took everything in him not to reach over and touch her face to feel the delicate warmth of her skin. “Is this trip so far what you’ve wanted it to be?”

Pidge’s eyes grew wide and round, taken aback by the question. Keith adored when that happens; he could see every speck of amber and gold shimmering inside those dazzling honey orbs.

“Uh, yeah. Y-Yeah,” she stuttered and bashfully looked away. “Yes, I mean.”

“You sure?” Keith teased, lifting the corner of his mouth and sitting back on his hands. “You don’t sound like it.”

The breeze whistled through the trees, tousling Keith’s locks and kissing his cheeks. His baggy shirt rippled lightly with the wind, sending a brief chill up his spine.

“Actually,” Pidge whispered, “it’s more than what I’ve wanted… ”

They both watched the scattered leaves on the ground dance and flutter through the airborne pebbles.

Keith sensed there were more things she wanted to say and waited patiently for her to continue

Pidge licked her lips and squeezed her backpack in a tight grip. She opened her mouth to say something else and clamped it shut immediately, exhaling through her nose in resignation.

She slipped her hands inside the bigger pocket of her bag and took out a wrapped sandwich. She had only managed to peel off a couple layers when Keith stopped her.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said.

“Do what?”

“Hesitate, mute yourself—didn’t you plan this whole trip so didn’t have to do stuff like that?”

“It is, but…" Pidge sighed. “I feel like I’m being a burden to you and it’s not fair. You wanted to go to Florida to meet your birth mother and I was only looking for an excuse to let loose. That hardly counts as a dire need to travel across the country above yours.”

“Don’t you think that if I had wanted to be there, I would be?”

She raised her head and frowned. “Are you saying you don’t?”

He meant to answer right away with a positive “yes!” or even a bold “of course”. Funny enough, he choked and averted her gaze.

Neither said anything for a long time; with Keith glaring hard at the space between his feet and Pidge studying him quietly with wonder. Somewhere in the far distance, a splash in the water could be heard, followed by a wild goat making a squeaking noise.

Finally, Pidge decided to break the silence. “I’m sorry.”

Keith scrunched his brows and whipped his head up.

She shrugged nervously and scratched the back of her neck. “I’m a lot better at solving algorithms and reading system softwares than I am at people. But if it’s any consolation, this is the fastest turnaround I made when it comes to helping others.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I shouldn’t have fallen asleep on you in the car the other night,” she explained. “It was clear there was a lot on your mind and I wasn’t awake to listen. I should’ve been and I’m sorry.”

“That’s not—I wasn’t ready to—”

“Yeah you were,” she interrupted, “or else you wouldn’t have said anything to begin with.”

Keith scowled. “I was just answering your question about why I’ve never been with anyone before. The only reason why I felt like I had to explain myself was because you thought I was this secret heartbreaker no one knew about.”

Pidge jerked back in shock. “How the hell did you even come to that conclusion? That’s not what I had been thinking at all!”

“Oh really? You don’t remember side-eyeing me?”

“That’s not what I did and you know it. Like I said before I was _surprised.”_

“Yeah, because you had judged me prior to this trip before you even got to know me.” Keith huffed. “Typical for people like you who haven’t been anywhere else but at the top of society.”

Pidge’s mouth dropped as her brows came together angrily. Suddenly, her eyes darkened and she stood on her feet, not even caring that her belongings had fallen on the ground.

A moment later, her body froze; limbs becoming stiff as a board. A series of emotions flashed across her face as she recalled the last time someone said something similar to her.

\---

_“Katie,” Lance interrupted. “You never have to worry about anything. You’re the gifted child. You’re always number one. How could you possibly know what it feels like to live in somebody else’s shadow?”_

\---

And just like the last time, Pidge ran off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [**tumblr**](http://narycanary.tumblr.com/) | [**twitter**](https://twitter.com/narycanary?lang=en)


	13. CTRL: Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is lost in the woods and it's up to Keith to find her. Meanwhile, tension grows between Shiro and Matt.

Shiro had always heard that silence can be the most dreadful sound in the world. This puzzled him for many reasons.

For one, he enjoyed it. The quiet was nice and relaxing; it allowed him to clear his thoughts and relieve his stress for the day, letting it end in peace. With silence, he could escape the noise from the outside world and dive into a sacred place inside his mind where no one could disturb him. In this state, he is able to find the most fulfilling tranquility, so he never understood why to some people, silence can be an equivalent to a nightmare coming to life.

Until now.

Maybe he was exaggerating a bit, but when he’s got a little brother traveling across the country with a girl who refused to acknowledge her mental problem _and_ was going to see someone with the same issue, it was more than nerve-wrecking.

Mathematical rule states that a negative plus a negative equals a positive. In this case, Shiro couldn’t see how it can be possible (leave it to him to think like a nerd even in a crisis like this).

He huffed impatiently. He needed to talk to Keith. He can't stand waiting around inside his apartment any longer, sitting rigidly on the couch with the radio silence; especially with Matt and Allura keeping him at bay like a prisoner.

He heard footsteps approaching him and flicked his eyes up to see Allura. His eyes hardened into a soft glare.

She sighed. “I still think you’re being irrational.”

After a moment, Shiro allowed his shoulders to drop. Even when he was this upset, he could still never bring himself to look at her or Matt with disdain for long. “I don’t think so and you know why.”

She sighed again and rubbed her temples in a circular motion. “Even so, you’re going into a bit of a reach. I’m not seeing how this could blow up like you say it might. You make it sound like someone is going to get physically hurt.”

“It can lead to that.”

“And _how_ exactly would that happen?” Matt challenged. He was standing tensely in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. “My sister isn’t crazy enough to be put in a straightjacket.”

“I never said that."

“You didn’t have to because that’s what you’re _implying.”_ Matt’s jaw tightened as he pushed off the wall. “Which is fucked up, considering you were banking on my sister’s time with your brother to change his mind about meeting his birth mom.”

“Put yourself in my shoes,” Shiro pleaded and stood on his feet. “Wouldn’t you be worried sick out of your mind? I’ve witnessed firsthand how somebody with this condition can be. You have _no_ idea what Katie is going to do, and now she’s who-knows-where with Keith and there is no way for us to get to them fast enough if they need immediate help.”

“Oh, because the only way that could happen would be because of Katie, right?” Matt stepped forward. “Keith doesn’t have any chemical imbalance to his brain so there’s _no way_ he could ever put them in danger.”

“Stop it you two!” Allura interjected and placed a hand on both their chests to prevent them from getting closer. “Listen to yourselves. You’re acting childish and insane.”

“What’s insane is that you two held me hostage in my own apartment for the past couple days and refuse to give me my phone,” Shiro snapped. “I need to know if Keith is fine.”

“He is. I talked to him last night,” Allura reminded. “I told you he’s alright.”

“Yeah? Then how come that doesn’t sit right with me? Why do I get the sense he needed me for something? If he was fine, he would’ve texted or called me before bed, but no, he called in the middle of the evening. I know Keith. He needed me for something.”

“What he needed was advice for a girl he is falling for,” Allura explained with a sharp edge in her tone. “Something I don’t think you’re capable of giving him if you’ve got a problem with her."

“Give me my phone,” Shiro begged. “I don’t want this to escalate more than it already has. I just want to talk to him.”

“And warn him about Katie?” Matt spat.

“There’s nothing wrong with me wanting him to be on guard in case she behaves a little differently than what he’s used to.”

“Sure. Whatever you say. Here’s your damn phone.” Matt fished the device out his back pocket and tossed it on the couch. He was tired of this. “I’ll be in my car waiting for Katie to call me to come and get her. Since Keith likes being a runaway, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does the same thing to her.”

“He wouldn’t leave her.”

“You don’t know that and I’m not taking any chances.” Matt shook his head and walked out of the living room.

Allura frowned. “Matt, wait—”

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Matt clipped and opened the door, gripping the knob tight. “Or after I help out Katie with everything. Whichever the case may be.” He exhaled shakingly. “She’s going to need all the support she can get once all of this gets out.”

With that said, Matt swiftly walked out and slammed the door shut. His angry footsteps could be heard through the walls echoing loudly in the hallway.

Once the deafening silence of the apartment settled in, Shiro realized what a huge mistake he had made by letting Matt leave.  
  


* * *

  
Pidge ran as if her life depended on it.

If Keith had called out her name, she didn’t hear him. If she had scraped herself against the rock wall, she didn’t feel it. If she had accidentally bumped into someone down the mountain, she didn’t see them.

When Pidge reached the bottom, she bolted off the trails and straight into the woods. Her hair whipped painfully around her face, stinging her eyes. Her feet pounded against the dirt and soil; every step harder than the last. Her sides cramped up and her calves burned. Regardless, she forced her body to speed up the pace until it escalated into a full-fledged sprint.

Her lungs heaved as the pressure inside her chest intensified. With no real destination in mind, she ignored the pain and continued to push through, allowing her legs to carry her wherever they pleased.

Farther. She needed to be farther away. Away from—

_‘What the hell am I doing?’_

Pidge’s feet skidded to a complete stop, but the force she had been exerting impaired her balance and thus, her hands grappled on a tree bark to find steadiness. The skin on her fingers stretched painfully on the crusted, dry surface and she winced.

Once her labored breathing slowed back to normal, she slid down carefully until she was crouching. She covered her mouth with her hand and stared at the ground in disbelief.

 _‘Did I just really do that?’_ Pidge turned around to look behind her. Her brows furrowed deeper when she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. _‘How far did I go this time?’_

She swallowed hard and felt her entire body tremble as she slowly rose to stand up, getting a better view. She took a tentative step forward. Then another. And another.

 _'I can’t remember what happened,’_ she thought, flickering her apprehensive eyes over each tree. _‘I was sitting next to Keith. Where is he? Where am I?’_

Pidge rubbed her arms and continued to walk, panting slightly. The only thing she could recall was them talking and then… and then…

Everything after that became a blur.

It always seemed to lead to this every time someone would raise their voice at her and accuse her of something she clearly didn’t do. Except usually, she would start shedding tears _before_ she’d run away—

Pidge halted and reached up to touch her cheek. It was wet.

Her shoulders slumped as she lowered her head shamefully. Why the hell did she always do this?

 _‘You know why,’_ her conscious spat. _‘You just refuse to accept it.’_

Pidge glared at the space before her. No! That wasn’t it at all. Only she could know _herself_ if there was something evidently wrong with her. No psychiatrist or mental health expert with a stellar certificate from _any_ clinic could convince her that if she kept up with her so-called “disastrous” behavior, it could lead her to a breaking point that’s potentially fatal.

She's fine.

She was perfectly _fine._

And she will repeat this a thousand times over at the whole universe if she had to.

With that in mind, Pidge sucked in a deep breath and raised her head, wiping her face using the sleeve of her shirt. After silently counting to ten and composing herself back together, she made a move to turn back around with her next step and—

Her foot slipped.

Pidge had noticed the edge of the cliff too little, too late.

She cried out as her hands shot up to seize a hanging tree branch above. Her legs swung frantically as she blindly tried to find a flat surface to step on and pull herself up.

To her horror, the root of the tree branch snapped a second later.

She rolled and tumbled down the mini landslide, grunting with every bounce and hit her body took until she landed facedown.

She attempted to get up, but her limbs were quivering, shaking—she could barely feel them. She couldn’t even lift her own weight.

Her eyelids grew heavy. She lowered herself back to the ground. Her vision blurred. Sleep sounded so good right now. Maybe she should… should...

And the world grew black around her.  
  


* * *

  
“Pidge!” Keith called out desperately, frantically looking around. “Pidge, where are you?! _Pidge!”_

When no one answered, he gritted his teeth in frustration. She wasn’t here.

He wasn’t sure exactly where _here_ was. All he knew was that the two x-marks he carved on one of the tree barks earlier grimly reminded him that he had already searched this area—twice.

“Dammit,” he growled and clenched his fists. “Dammit! Dammit! _Dammit!”_

Keith never meant to yell at her. By the time he realized he did, she had already vanished from his side and was taking off into the woods. He had called out her name several times, but she didn’t stop. She kept on going, never bothering to turn around and look back.

He had chased after her, but she was a lot faster than he anticipated. He had lost sight of her when he reached the bottom of the mountain and then came to the haunting realization he had no idea which direction she ran off to.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark. There are wild animals roaming around and the temperature was dropping. The nearest ranger station was over two hours away and there could be dangerous people wandering through these woods right now.

Keith’s breath hitched at the horrific thought and a trickle of fear went down his spine.

“Pidge!” He tried again. “Answer me!”

The leaves rustled ominously above him. Very little sunlight penetrated through the branches. The howling of the wind whistled through the trees. No more voices from the other hikers could be heard and all that was left was the eerie silence of the woods.

Keith snarled at the glaring emptiness of the forest like it had taken something precious away from him and was here for vengeance. He didn’t give a damn if his body was starving like hell or if all his energy was being spent—he was going to find Pidge whether he had to start crawling on his knees or not.

He wasn’t going to give up.

If something were to happen her, he would never forgive himself.

Keith’s cell phone started ringing inside his pocket and he abruptly dropped everything he was carrying to hurriedly take it out. When he had gone back earlier to pick up his and Pidge’s belongings, he noticed that her cell wasn’t anywhere nearby and had been calling her nonstop in hopes that she would pick up.

“Pidge?” He called out breathessy when he answered. “Pidge, are you okay? Where the hell are you?

There was an agonizing pause on the other line before someone finally spoke. _“Keith?”_

He tensed. It was Shiro.

_“Keith… what’s going on?”_

“Nothing,” Keith strangled. “Look, right now isn’t a good time—”

Another voice came in the conversation. _“Where the hell is my sister?”_

Keith blinked. “M-Matt?”

 _“He’s sitting right next to me in the car. You’re on Bluetooth…”_ Shiro explained. “ _We wanted to talk to you about something, but it sounds like it’s going to have to wait.”_

“I don’t know where she is.” Keith wasted no time revealing. He was going to need all the help he could get if he wanted to find Pidge fast. “Is there any way you two could track her location by using her phone? Then send me the coordinates or something?”

Another pause, then a sigh came from Matt. _“I don’t know… She was the one who knew how to do that all that stuff.”_

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, quietly praying for some kind of breakthrough in this fruitless search.

 _“But you have an idea, right?”_ Shiro asked Matt. _“You told me she showed you a few times.”_

_“Yeah, but that was for small things like tapping into our parents computers when it was on or into our neighbor's tablets when we knew they were watching Netflix. Besides, we always did it on her laptop, since that’s where she had all her codes and programs. She built a system that was easy for her to hack other devices without much work.”_

“Is it the huge black laptop with the green rims and the blue light-up keyboard?” Keith asked.

_“That’s the one.”_

“If I go get it, would you be able to walk me through it?” Keith could picture Matt and Shiro exchanging looks, wondering if it was a plausible plan.

 _“You can do it,”_ Shiro whispered to Matt. _“I know you can.”_

While the two chatted quietly over the line, Keith started picking up his and Pidge’s backpack, grumbling irritably at the weight inside hers as he tried to adjust the straps to hang comfortably on his shoulders. Fuck, what does she have in there? Not that it was heavy for him or anything, but it’s definitely going to slow him down a bit once he started going back to the car, especially when it felt like she had fucking bricks in there—

He gasped. What if...

Keith slid Pidge’s backpack off his arm and swung it around until it was in front of him. He quickly unzipped the largest pocket and reached his hand inside to find—

Her laptop!

“Matt! Shiro!” Keith exclaimed excitedly into the phone. “I’ve got her laptop!” He took a seat on the ground and chucked the bag off the rest of the way, more than happy that this pleasant discovery just saved him about two hours. “Tell me what I need to do. I’m turning it on now.”

He had no idea why Pidge would bring her laptop on a hike since she didn’t the last time, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to question it.  
  


* * *

  
Pidge woke up to a dull ache inside her skull, body feeling like it was hit by a bus, and complete darkness surrounding her.

The panic flooded her immediately when she remembered where she was.

Despite the unbearable pressure in the back of her head, Pidge lifted her upper half off the ground and tried to look around her. She could hardly make out anything. Aside from the twinkling stars above, she had no other source of light to help her see.

She blindly reached into her pocket to try and take out her phone, but when she shifted her legs for a better position, a shot of pain went up her spine and she cried out. Carefully, she slowly rolled herself on her back and stretched out her limbs, breathing heavily as she used her senses to figure out what was wrong with her.

It was her right ankle. It was injured. She could feel the fiery throb underneath her skin.

She winced as she sat up, thankful to find nothing else was wrong with her. She rotated her foot in circles a few times, relieved that nothing appeared to be broken. However, when she planted it flat on the ground and tried to get up, that’s when the pain came back again.

So her ankle was fine for the most part, but she couldn’t stand. A couple days off her feet and she would be able to walk normally.

Only, she didn’t have that kind of time to spare. Not in these damn woods.

The sound of her cell phone ringing loudly had her heart suddenly racing, and not in the good way.

Pidge’s body trembled as her eyes fearfully looked up at the mountain slide she had fallen down from earlier. She felt her blood run cold when she realized where the ringing was coming from.

Her phone was still up there.

And there was no way for her to get to it.  
  


* * *

  
Pidge’s password ended up being the most complicated puzzle to figure out. As Keith learned, she had certain _rules_ and  _regulations_ to keep a password strong, with a variety of elements thrown into the mix. According to Matt, she drilled these notes into his brain so that he himself could ensure none of his accounts would ever get hacked.

So what exactly does Pidge’s password guideline entail? Well first, she liked to start off with letters, but not just any randoms ones. These letters were supposed to mean something to the user. For Matt, she suggested he used the first initials of all the cities they’ve lived in, and because he does use this rule, there was no way she would use this precedent for herself.

“What would they be then?” Keith asked over the phone. He had a small notepad on his leg with a pen in hand. “Would they still be cities?”

 _“Yes,”_ Matt confirmed. _“It’s not the first thing a lot of people think of.”_

“So if it’s not gonna be the cities you two have lived in, what cities would they be? They gotta hold value to her, right? For her to remember them easily?”

 _“This sounds a little methodical,”_ Shiro commented with skepticism. _“Katie doesn’t seem like the type to have protocol. I’d imagine she’d be the type to keyboard smash her password and then take a photographic memory of it.”_

 _“When it comes to stuff like this, she’s pretty OCD about it,”_ Matt explained. _“So I know for a fact she does this.”_

“How about cities of all the places she’s competed in?” Keith suggested. “That would mean something to her, right?”

_“That… That actually would. Holy shit—you cracked the first code!”_

“We still got to figure out the rest.” Keith wasn’t in the mood to celebrate; not until he had Pidge back by his side. “Would the letters be capitalized or all lowercased?”

_“She’d alternate, starting with capitalization.”_

Keith sighed stressfully and rubbed his face. This was definitely going to take awhile...  
  


* * *

  
Being a damsel in distress was a role Pidge never wanted to play. If she needed to figure a way to get out of a predicament, she was going to do it all by her damn self. Even if it seemed like she had landed in a hopeless situation.

She shook her head. No, she couldn’t think like that! Not when she hadn’t even tried everything and exhausted every possibility… whatever they are.

The clouds in the night sky slowly shifted aside, revealing the gorgeous crescent of the silver moon. Pidge allowed herself to have a fleeting moment of peace where she could admire the moon’s glow and the bright stars scattered everywhere, pretending Keith was sitting beside her, looking up at the same view.

Maybe somewhere, he was.

Pidge quickly pushed all the negative thoughts away and refocused her mind back to the task at hand. First things first, she needed to get up and find a way to maneuver around on one foot. Then, she needed a safe way to climb up the landslide, get to her cell phone, call for help, and then call Keith.

She groaned and dropped her head back. Shit was a lot easier said than done...  
  


* * *

_  
BtFgLsPf0403!_

**_INVALID PASSWORD_ **

\---

“Shit,” Keith muttered for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes. “The four numbers aren’t her birthday.”

 _“And they aren’t Matt’s or her parents either…”_ Shiro mused. _“Maybe the family’s dog?”_

 _“We don’t know when Rover was born. We found him on the streets,”_ Matt said. _“This date has got to be something she’s excited about; hence the exclamation point at the end.”_

“Could it be the day she graduated high school?” Keith asked. “Or the day she won her first competition?”

 _“How about an anniversary?”_ Shiro suggested. _“Like maybe your parents wedding date?”_

“Nah. If there’s an anniversary involved, it would be something recent.” Matt hummed. “Something from this year or the previous one.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed. “Like a date when she started going out with someone?”

_“Yeah! So maybe… oh, fuck. Dominique…”_

A quiet growl escaped Keith’s mouth. Was he ever going to stop hearing that fucking name?

“What’s the date?” he asked reluctantly.

_“February 14. He asked her out on Valentine’s Day.”_

Keith tried not to make a face as typed the password in. Now was not the time for his petty jealousy.

_\---_

_BtFgLsPf0214!_

**_INVALID PASSWORD_ **

\---

He didn’t know whether to be relieved or infuriated that the password was incorrect.

“Are you sure the last four numbers aren’t part of an area code or phone number?” Keith was feeling his patience running thin. It was getting darker by the minute and Pidge’s laptop was on 53%, furthering his anxiousness to find her.

 _“I can’t see why she would get excited over a phone number,”_ Matt said. _“She must really smitten for her to do something as cheesy as that.”_

Keith stared thoughtfully at the keyboard for a few seconds before trying another password.

\---

_BtFgLsPf2734!_

**_INVALID PASSWORD_ **

\---

Well, the last four digits of his own cell phone didn’t work.

Keith calmly tapped the edge of the laptop and looked off to the side. He wasn’t sure why, but he sensed he was getting closer to figuring out Pidge’s password. There was a persistent voice inside his head telling him so.

He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes. _‘Okay Keith. Let’s think for a minute’_ he thought while sitting back on his hand. _‘If I was someone who rarely got excited about anything because I had a strict image to keep up with, what exactly would that be? And when would I have had the time to?’_

To his wild surprise, the answer hit him with an expected force. Suddenly, his fingers flew across the keyboard before he had the chance to command them to.

\---

_BtFgLsPf0615!_

********_LOGGING IN…  
  
_

* * *

  
Pidge panted hard, feeling a constant burn inside her chest every time she inhaled the cold air and a large bead of sweat running down her neck. She was standing; balancing some of her weight on the uninjured foot while the rest was leaning against a tree she was holding onto. It had taken her awhile to get up and her body was on the verge of collapsing from the cold, but she couldn’t give up. It wasn't an option.

She glanced around the dark woods and scowled, hating that she could only see a few feet away from her. If she had her phone on her, this would be ten times easier.

 _‘I’m doing good so far though,’_ she reasoned and adjusted her glasses. They somehow managed to stay on her face during the entire catastrophe. _‘All I gotta do now is pick a direction, keep going that way, and pray my ass off that I’ll eventually find an easy, steady pathway that would lead me back up to where I fell from.’_ She exhaled and nodded with determination. _‘Alright. Let’s do this.’_

Just as Pidge was about to move, she heard several branches snapping from above.

Her heart dropped.

Pidge instantly jerked herself back on the ground, curling into a tiny ball and feeling around the dirt with her trembling hand to find a rock she could throw. She shuffled back quietly behind the tree and used the moonlight to keep her eye on a certain spot at the top of the landslide. Her heart rate spiked as the noise grew closer.

 _‘I’m gonna die.’_ Pidge gripped the rock tight, suppressing the desperate urge to scream for help. Well, if she was going to do down, she would make sure to put up one hell of a fight. If she didn’t, she knew she would hear Lance reprimanding her ass from the grave.

She heard some shuffling through the leaves, and then—

“No…" a broken voice said.

Pidge waited in the shadows with bated breath. She still couldn’t see who it was and she kept her body completely still.

“No… “ the person repeated. More footsteps. Frenzied ones. “No!” they shouted, scaring away the birds hidden in the trees. “Fuck!”

Pidge’s eyes flew wide open when she recognized who that voice belonged to.

“K-Keith?” she whispered. Was it really him? No, it couldn't be. How?! What are the fucking chances of him actually finding her out here in the middle of the woods?

She exhaled shakingly and smiled. She might just cry.

“Pidge!” The voice— _Keith_ —called frantically. “Pidge! Pidge, where are you?” He looked around wildly. _“Katie!”_

“I’m here,” she said, then swallowed a huge lump inside her throat. She tried again, louder this time. “I’m down here!”

Keith appeared at the edge of the cliff faster than a bolt of lightning with a flashlight in hand. His eyes darted everywhere until they landed on her. Relief washed over his face, then he frowned when he noticed her limping.

“What’s wrong?” he urgently asked.

Pidge glanced down at her swollen ankle. “Oh, uhm… I fell off right where you’re standing at and I kinda hurt myself.”

“Your lip is bleeding.”

She had been wondering what that metallic taste in her mouth was and wiped it off. “I probably look like shit.”

Keith moved the flashlight up and down her frame. Pidge had to keep herself from blushing in humiliation.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said softly after a moment. “Mostly.”

She smiled and shrugged. “Could be worse. I thought you were a serial killer.”

Keith playfully rolled his eyes and snorted. “Only you.”

“Are you kidding me? Lots of people would’ve thought the same thing if they were in my position!”

He didn’t bother teasing her further about the subject. He was just so damn happy to find her; even if she was injured. He had been terrified out of his mind a minute ago and felt some years of life had returned upon seeing her.

“Don’t move. Stay where you are,” Keith instructed. “I’m gonna come down there.”

Pidge nodded. “I’ll be here waiting.”

He stepped back out of her view and dropped down on one knee. After making sure there was no possible way for her to see him, he flashed a light over the gun he had been concealing with his other hand and quickly set the safety lock back into place.

There were exactly four bullets.

Keith prayed he wouldn’t be forced to use any of them during their trip back to the car.  
  


* * *

  
The forest didn’t seem so frightening anymore now that Pidge was with Keith. In all honesty, the place was mysteriously elegant.

She admired the ghostly undertone the woods carried. The chilly atmosphere enhanced the secretive whispers breezing through the aspen leaves and twisted branches, sending thrilling goosebumps down her bare legs. The ominous sounds were most likely coming from the wild animals in the distance, sounding like a tender song playing delightfully on the radio. The scent of pine complemented the scenery and heightened her senses, wiping her mind blank and leaving behind a rich satisfaction.

Pidge closed her eyes and breathed contently. She could easily fall asleep right now.

“I’m sorry.”

She fluttered her lids opened and turned her head to look at Keith. “Huh?”

Keith tightened his hold on her thighs. “For yelling at you.”

He was carrying her on his back while both of their backpacks were being carried on his front, with the straps inserted onto his arms in reverse. He thought the weight would be evenly distributed on both sides, but as it turned out, Pidge was _a lot_ lighter than he imagined and he was forced to stay upright so that they wouldn’t collapse forward.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Pidge said. She had both her arms wrapped around his neck, with one hand holding up a flashlight to use as their source of light. “I’m the reason why we wasted a whole day of adventure.”

“But it’s me with the temper problem. I always do this.”

Pidge frowned. “What do you mean? I mean, sure—you were a _little_ bit of a pain in my ass in the beginning, but it was understandable. I _did_ run over your bike. I may not have enjoyed your attitude but, you know, I had it coming. Oh, by the way, I’m still planning on buying you a new bike. Or at least pay for the damages. Although after tonight, I’ll have an even bigger debt to repay… which brings me to my next question—how did you find me?”

“I tracked your phone,” Keith answered.

“Seriously?” Pidge raised a brow.

“I called Matt to do it. He gave me the coordinates once he figured it out.”

“Aw. Looks like he finally learned on his own. I’m so proud— _wait.”_ She gasped. “You told him I was lost?! In the woods?!”

“I had to. I didn’t know how else to find you.”

“One night sleeping on a pile of leaves wouldn’t have killed me. You could’ve gone to get help from the rangers or something.”

Keith halted abruptly, which had Pidge bumping her forehead against the back of his shoulder blade. She winced while he turned his head around as best as he could to glare at her.

“That wasn’t an option,” he explained in a tight voice and resumed walking. “Keep the flashlight in front of me so I can see where we’re going.”

“Yes, sir,” she mumbled with a pout and lowered her chin back on his shoulder. “How do you even know where we’re going?”

“I marked the trees with a diamond to find you and I’m using them to guide me back. If you see any of the ones with x’s, that was me trying to look for you the first time.”

“That’s… smart. Were you in the boy scouts or something?”

“Shiro and I did a lot of camping when we were in high school. I picked up a few things from him.”

Pidge glanced amusingly at the scattered etchings on the tree barks. “Altea University’s resident heartthrob is also an experienced explorer. Is there anything you can’t do?”

Keith’s steps slightly faltered.

“Shit, am I getting heavy?” Pidge asked. “I can—”

“It’s fine,” he assured. “You’re fine. I just didn’t know where I was going for a second.”

“If you get stuck in this hunchback position, don’t come blaming me.”

He smirked. “I totally am blaming you.”

Pidge flicked his chin in retaliation and they both shared a lighthearted laugh.

“Thank you for coming to find me,” she said quietly, lids closing halfway

“Of course,” he muttered. “I wasn’t just going to leave you. I would’ve looked all night if I had to.”

Keith had expected Pidge to apologize again and put the blame on herself once more. What he wasn’t expecting her to do was to lean her face forward and press her lips gently on his cheek.

He suddenly couldn’t think. He could barely breathe. His legs had gone on autopilot and moving on their own.

Pidge kissed him. She kissed him on the cheek. It was… It was…

“Shit, I forgot my face was dirty.” She flinched. “I smeared some crap on your face—”

“It’s okay,” Keith said with a little more force than necessary. “Don’t worry about it. We can both get cleaned up when we get back to the hotel. It’s... It’s fine.”

Pidge was taken aback by his reaction, but then settled back down wordlessly into her previous spot; with her chin resting on his shoulder and head turned to continue staring blindly into the forest. She couldn’t help but notice how Keith’s entire body was now taut and ignored the painful strings tugging on her heart.

Keith, on the other hand, was battling an internal dilemma; one he had talked to Lance about the night before. His own heart was sinking lower and lower into his stomach as he recalled the phone conversation they had.

\---

_“You figured… And you’re not… What the hell is your angle here?” Lance demanded with a threatening edge in his voice._

_Keith sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour and tilted his head downward. “I don’t have any angle. She just needs more time.”_

_“More time… for what exactly?”_

_“To find herself.”_

_Keith could imagine Lance’s face scrunching in confusion._

_“I don’t get it,” Lance eventually said._

_“Ever heard of the term ‘be happy with yourself before you find someone else’? It’s something like that.”_

_Lance went quiet again for a long while. Keith wasn’t bothered. He knew Lance was thinking; piecing his thoughts together._

_“So you don’t think she’ll be completely happy with you until she learns to do so on her own?” Lance asked. “That’s… deep. And concerning.”_

_“How so?”_

_“What makes you think she’s unhappy? She told you some stuff, didn’t she?”_

_Keith detected the bittersweet tone in Lance’s voice and frowned. “Yeah, she did.”_

_“Heh. It’s always you, isn’t it?”_

_It didn’t take Keith long to figure out what he meant. “You liked her.”_

_“Eh, it was definitely more than that, but don’t worry. That’s ancient history. Pretty sure she didn’t even notice.”_

_Keith released a hefty exhale. He didn’t know how to respond to that._

_“Sounds like there’s something else on your mind,” Lance prompted. “What is it?”_

_“I…" Keith sighed. “I need help.”_

_“With?”_

_“Not wanting jumping her bones all the damn time.”_

_Lance barked out a ridiculous laugh over the line. “Temptation that strong? Man, I hear ya. You have no idea how many times I have to keep myself in check every time Hunk showers and walks out the bathroom with only a towel on.”_

_Keith groaned and buried his flushed face against the wall. “I know what you mean.”_

_“Ha, sounds like misery loooooves company.”_

_Keith’s lips curled into a small smile, glad to know Lance understood his predicament._

_“Alright, so there really isn’t a magical solution to solve your problem—especially since it’s just you and Pidge on the road—but you can use me as your outlet. If you feel like you’re about to break, just text me. I won’t judge or make fun of you, but I will for sure tease you. How does that sound?”_

_Keith mulled over the idea. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Lance knowing his tormented thoughts, but if he wanted to give Pidge the desired time to find herself, he needed to suck it up and do it for her sake._

_He waited nearly two years for her. He could hold off being with her for a little while longer._

_“Fine,” Keith agreed. “Oh, and feel free to do the same. It’s only fair.”_

_“Gotcha,” Lance said. “I’m rooting for the both of ya.”_

_Keith allowed his mouth to break into a full smile. “Thanks.”_

_It was about time that Altea University’s future astronauts were finally getting along._

\---

The sun had started to rise from the horizon by the time Keith and Pidge made it back to the car. It had been a long trip and the two were exhausted, ready to collapse at any moment and let sleep claim them.

However, they couldn’t if they had wanted to right this very second or even for the next few hours. They were due to check out of their hotel room soon and then be forced back on the road to drive towards their next destination.

But first, Keith needed to take a look at Pidge’s injured ankle. He had been eyeing it since they’ve arrived at the parking lot and it wasn’t looking so good.

“What are you doing?” Pidge asked when Keith seated her carefully on the trunk of the vehicle.

“That—,” he pointed at her swollen, bruised ankle with his chin as he shrugged off their backpacks, “—looks terrible.”

She sighed tiredly and sat back on her hands. “It’s fine. I’ve had worse. I’ll live.”

“It’s still a good idea to wrap it up until we take you to a clinic. Where do you keep the first aid kit? In the backseat?”

“We are _not_ going to a clinic.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to have them check it out.” Keith opened the door to the backseat and rummaged through their belongings until he found the plastic, white box with the red cross sticker. “Here it is.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “And yet when I tried taking you to a clinic before, you played the drama queen card and kept trying to leave.”

“That was different. You’ve smacked me, nearly hit me with your crowbar _twice,_  and then made my head hit the dashboard.” Keith placed the box beside her and popped it open. “And I was not acting like a drama queen.”

“Right.” Pidge was too tired to even argue and leaned down to untie the knots on her sneaker.

“Don’t.” Keith stopped her before she could finish. “Knowing how much of a clutz you are, you’ll somehow hurt yourself again.”

“Okay, first of all, it was pretty damn dark in that forest and anyone could have fallen down that landslide. Second, it’s no big deal.”

“Then let me do it.” He took off his gloves, and shoved it inside his back pocket. “Hold still.”

Pidge watched silently as Keith gently picked up her calf and slid her shoe off with ease. She winced upon seeing the ugly discoloration on her skin. It was definitely a lot worse than she thought.

“I swear it doesn’t feel like anything is broken,” she said.

“We won’t know for sure until we get it x-rayed.” He picked up the compression wrap and ripped off the tape with his teeth. “Tell me if it starts to hurt.”

Pidge nodded, observing Keith as he folded her sock halfway down her foot and began wrapping the bandage around her ankle. She instinctively brought her hands to the edge of the trunk and leaned forward.

“Are you okay?” Keith asked.

“Y-Yeah.”

“Then relax."

“I’ll try.” More like she’ll try not to combust from how insanely intimate this whole interaction was. They were so damn close that she could feel his puffs of breaths on her shoulders.

Keith continued to wrap her ankle and foot in a figure eight pattern with intense focus. He did his best to force his eyes to remain on the task at hand and not let them hungrily travel up her bare leg like they’re dying to.

When he was done, he secured the clip fastener on the side of her ankle. “How does it feel? Is it too tight?”

“It’s perfect,” Pidge assured and reached down to touch the bandage. She frowned when she couldn’t get the clasp to come undone.

“It’s like this.” Keith tugged the tiny fabric and used his index finger to go underneath it and pushed it down.

“Tricky,” she muttered. “But I guess that’s a good thing.”

“Yeah,” he said softly and raised his head to look at her. Their hands were shyly grazing against one another. “It is.”

Naturally, she mimicked his action. When she did, her eyes went straight to his mouth.

Before Keith could lose himself in the moment, he jerked his head to the side and cleared his throat. Through his peripheral, he saw Pidge’s entire stance deflate and swallowed a lump inside his throat. He didn’t realize his hands were balled up into fists until he felt his nails digging painfully into his palm.

“We should head back to the hotel so we can check out,” Keith grumbled and hurriedly stepped away. He kept his head down as he walked around the car. “I’ll clear the backseat for you so can elevate your leg.”

Pidge didn’t bother acknowledging she had heard him. She simply stared blankly off into space, crossed her good leg over her knee, and let her mind wander.  


* * *

****_  
**Keith (7:29 AM):**  
_ _We’re back at the hotel. Pidge sprained her ankle but she’s fine for the most part. Let Matt know I’m taking her to a clinic in a bit._

 **_Shiro (7:30 AM):_ ** _  
_ _How did she hurt her ankle?_

 **_Keith (7:32 AM):_ ** _  
_ _Long story…_

\---

Matt let out a tired laugh as he read the texts on Shiro’s phone. “Katie does have a history of being a clutz." He placed the device back on the coffee table. "But, I’m relieved Keith found her and that she’s okay.”

“Me too.” Shiro smiled. There was a five o'clock shadow on his face. “Now, you can stop worrying and head back to your place to get some proper sleep.”

“Your couch is comfortable,” Matt muttered as he rolled on his stomach. “I’m crashing here. Goodnight.”

Shiro made his way over to Matt from the kitchen table and bent down to squeeze his shoulder. “I’m glad we talked last night. I hated fighting with you.”

“No need to be a sap muscleman.” Matt waved his hand. “Best friends fight every now and then.”

“I understand, but this one scared me. I honestly thought I was gonna lose you.”

“It’s going to take a lot to get rid of this Holt,” Allura said as she emerged from the bathroom. Other than the slight bags under her eyes, she didn’t appear to be as tired as the other two men. It must've been her blessed genes. “Are you two still planning on going to Florida?”

Shiro nodded. “After Matt takes his exam next week and once my boss gives me the okay on my PTO, we’ll catch a flight over.”

“And you’re still going to visit Keith’s mom?”

“That’s the plan.”

Allura gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and crossed her arms. She had an uneasy feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Zero](http://eravicis.tumblr.com/) saved my life with this chapter because I was hella stuck for awhile. Damn writer's block. Thanks girl!!! ♡
> 
> Thank you Pretty Little Liars for inspiring the chapter.


	14. Would You Rather...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was only one bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: [Zero](http://eravicis.tumblr.com/)

****Pidge rested the back of her head against the window as she stared down at the prescription bottle in her hand with an unreadable expression. She turned it over to look at the label, not really reading the contents printed on the tiny piece of paper and frowned. What the hell was inside here again? How was this supposed to help her get better? She had blanked out when the pharmacist was explaining it to her and Keith after her check-up with a podiatrist at an urgent clinic.

Well, not like the details mattered. Especially since she planned to flush the pills down the toilet when she got the chance to, which should be soon. She was just glad her health insurance covered most of it and that any additional costs didn’t make a dent in her wallet.

“How much longer until we get there?” Pidge asked from the backseat. She had to sit there in order for her leg to be properly elevated.

“About two hours.” Keith glanced at the rearview mirror to look at her. “Are you doing good back there?”

“As good as I can be with an injured ankle,” she grumbled and pocketed the pills. “Three days better go by fast.”

“They will. We just gotta find something to do that doesn’t require you to be on your feet.”

Pidge pouted and brought her uninjured leg to her chest, hugging it close so she could rest her chin on her knee. “And what would that be? Where the hell can we go?”

“Who said we had to go anywhere?”

She hummed in question. “And what do you mean by that?”

“Did you know the hotel we’re staying at has its own movie theatre?”

“What, really?” Pidge blinked. “Wait, where are we going?”

“Las Vegas.”

Her eyes bugged. “We’re going to Nevada already?! What the hell happened to Utah?”

“We’re going to skip it, considering you can’t really explore the canyons with a busted ankle.”

“Jeez,” she muttered and deflated. “That didn’t make me feel guilty or anything.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “My bad.”

“I bet you’re hungry.” Pidge grabbed Keith’s headrest and pulled herself up to lay her head on the seat’s shoulder. “I want french fries.”

He raised a brow. “Just fries?”

“Yes. I want a _whoooole_ bucket of it.”

Keith glanced at her skeptically before shrugging his shoulders. “Alright. I’ll drive into the next fast food joint I see. I could go for a burrito.”

“If you order it with beans, I demand that all the windows go down. Your farts don’t smell pretty.”

“What?!” He scowled at her. “I’ve never—”

“Oh, you _so_ have. You don’t think my sensitive nose can pick up something rotten from a mile away? Newsflash! It can.” She tapped her nose with her index finger and smirked. “It’s a gift.”

“Sit back down before you fall and hurt yourself again,” Keith snapped. His cheeks burned with embarrassment. “And put on your seatbelt.”

“You must not be human, you know that?” Pidge flopped back down and carefully crossed her ankles. “How are you still wide awake? We haven’t slept in like, thirty-six hours.”

“You took a nap earlier.”

“And I’m _still_ exhausted. Seriously, are your eyes okay? I keep thinking they’re going to dry out and roll out of your sockets. The sun is fucking bright today. Don’t your retinas feel like they're on fire?”

Keith slowly looked over his shoulders. “Does sleep deprivation give you some weird imagination?”

“I’ve been told, so yes. Yes, it does.”

He turned to look back at the road. “I see.”

“Want to play _Would You Rather?_ ”

Keith snorted. “I’ve always heard that _that_ game never ends well.”

“No, that’s _Never Have I Ever,_ because that one leads to some interesting backstories and explanations and some fights and before you know it, you can never see a buddy the same way again.” Pidge tsked. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as a sly smile curved her lips. “It’s also a nice way to coax blackmail worthy material out of someone.”

Keith blinked. And blinked. And then blinked again.

“Yeah, I’m definitely going to pass up this one,” he decided.

“But we’re not playing that one! We’re gonna play _Would You Rather.”_

“How about I’d rather not?”

“What is it Keith? Got some things up your sleeve you’d rather I not uncover?”

“I’m not answering that.”

“Not answering is the same as confirming.”

Keith facepalmed. Could he _ever_ win with this girl?

“We’re keeping this PG,” he demanded.

“Planning on it,” Pidge agreed. “The last time I talked about my boobs, you almost let a truck hit us.”

“I had my eyes off the road for _three seconds—”_

“Uh huh.”

Keith dropped his head back in defeat and groaned. Pidge smirked.

“What the hell is the first question?” he snapped.

She pulled up the application on her phone and selected a general category. Once the questions loaded up, she pressed start to begin.

“Would you rather wield a sword as a weapon or a sniper gun?” she read.

Keith squinted like he was staring into the sun with a raised eyebrow. “That’s random.”

“It’s supposed to be.”

“I guess… a sword.”

“You have a gun somewhere in your backpack and you’d rather choose a sword?”

“You can run out of bullets any time. At least with the sword, it depends on your stamina; which you can work your way up to.”

“Oh, right.” Pidge handed over her phone for his turn. “I’m talking to a guy who was gonna bike ride to Florida. You’re still insane for attempting that, by the way.”

“I would’ve been just fine,” Keith assured and glanced at the screen, resting his arm on the window sill. “Would you rather remain untouched for the rest of your life or stop using computers completely?”

Crickets. He was met with the sound of crickets.

“Okay, this game has gotten stupid—”

“It was your idea in the first place!” Keith moved the phone out of Pidge’s reach when she tried to grab it. “Answer the question. I already did.”

“You had an easy one!” She countered and tried to grab her phone again. He smirked and raised the device an inch higher. “Keith!”

“Is it that hard to choose between your friends and your computer?”

“I can always build them if I need to! I’ve built a robotic arm before, so I can figure out the rest of the body parts when the time comes.”

Keith stared at her incredibly. “You really did?”

She nodded enthusiastically with a smile. “I called him Kuro.” During his momentary distraction, she managed to successfully snatch her phone back. “My turn—”

 _“Sit down,”_ Keith chastised again.

“—would you rather have sex on a bed filled with filthy stains or on the dirty bathroom floor inside a club?”

“Didn’t I ask for this to be clean?”

“You asked me, but you didn’t ask _the app.”_

“Oh, _my apologies_ . Give me the phone and maybe I’ll ask _nicely.”_

“Nooooooo,” Pidge dramatically drawled out the vowel and crouched into a ball with the phone tucked protectively into the crook of her neck. “You’ll smash it against the window, I know it. Answer the question. I don’t see a truck coming, so we’re safe.”

“I’m not answering.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Well then, why don’t _you_ answer it then?”

“Ew, no way. Those options are gross. I would never.”

Keith’s threw his hand up and glared at her in disbelief through the rearview mirror. “Seriously?!”

“Yes—why the _hell_ would I want to get screwed on the bathroom floor?”

“Because that’s what _the app_ asked!”

“That doesn’t mean I got to pick one.”

“Yes, you do!”

“This is _your_ question.”

“Fine! A bed filled with filthy stains—happy?”

Pidge made a face. “That’s disgusting.”

“At least I can cover the bed with a new sheet or something,” Keith explained. “What would you have chose then? The dirty bathroom floor?”

“Actually, yes.”

_“Why?”_

“Next question—”

“Don’t throw your phone at me!” Keith fumbled with the device until he caught it firmly in his hand. “Do you _want_ me to get into an accident?”

“If I had wanted to, I would’ve just flashed you.”

Keith couldn’t stop the onslaught of risque images that rushed through his mind if he wanted to. He gripped the steering wheel unbelievably tight, recalling the perfect shape of her breasts being supported by the dripping wet, gray bra and the tantalizing birthmark above her left one that he’s dying to get his mouth on.

Before his thoughts could travel down a dangerous territory of no return, Pidge’s phone started to ring.

“It’s Matt,” he announced and tossed the phone back to her.

“Oh, great,” Pidge muttered as she caught it. “He’s either gonna yell at me or… nope, he’s definitely gonna yell at me.”

“He’s not,” Keith assured. “He just wants to know how you’re doing. You didn’t call him like you were supposed to after your check-up.”

She groaned, knowing he was right. She sat up straight and reluctantly answered the call right before it reached her voicemail. “Hey…”

While Pidge chatted with her brother, Keith was left to battle with his own desires in agonizing silence.  
  


* * *

  
Arriving at the South Point Casino with the same clothes that were worn a few days ago, a greasy mouth covered in french fries crumbs, and body smelling like the bottom pit of a deep fryer made Pidge feel like she didn’t belong here.

The lobby of the hotel didn’t look like a regular lobby, but more of a grand entrance made to welcome royalty. The vibrant shades of the golden and red swirls painted on the walls reminded Pidge of a queen’s palace. The bright shimmers on the surface of the velvet rugs were reflected by the mini chandeliers mounted on the ceiling. Each step someone made on the empty areas of the polished floor would echo across the room with a power-like sound, standing out above the rowdy noises coming from both sides of the lobby’s exits that led to a casino.

Peering through one of the doorways, Pidge could make out the arrays of slot machines, filled with people who were drinking and gambling away. She could hear the fast-paced music blasting through the speakers and the neon bright lights seemed to dance all over the room in a way she imagined someone would see the colors if they were high.

“Pidge.”

She blinked out of her stupor upon being called and looked up to see Keith. He picked up her luggage from the floor and pointed at the front desk with his chin. “Let’s check in. How’s your foot so far?”

“It’s fine.” She rotated her ankle a few times to show him. “I can manage until we get to our room.”

They walked towards one of the receptionists waiting for them behind a massive, glossy desk and Pidge forced herself to immediately be on guard. Neither she nor Keith have had the chance to freshen up their appearance before coming here, so she was fully prepared to be welcomed with silent judgement.

To her pleasant surprise, the lady with the bob haircut simply smiled sympathetically at them and pulled out two fresh water bottles from underneath the table.

“I hope you two didn’t go through a lot of trouble finding this place,” she said in voice that reminded Pidge of pure silk. That’s probably what her blouse was made out of. “Did you make reservations?”

“Yes,” Keith answered and reached for his back wallet to retrieve his wallet. “It’s under Keith Kogane for two…”

Pidge noticed the dark the circles under his eyes and frowned, knowing he was more exhausted than she was. It made her feel bad when she remembered he didn’t complain at all about his fatigue not once since finding her in the woods and driving them here.

She should definitely do something to show her appreciation to him.

“Here are your card keys. Your room is on the fourth floor. As soon as you get off the elevator, make a right,” the receptionist instructed as she handed Keith two tiny envelopes. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

He shook his head and picked up the two water bottles, giving her a small smile. “Thanks.”

The blush that appeared on that woman’s cheeks made Pidge want to laugh and cry at the same time.

On the one hand, she looked like a schoolgirl who was finally getting recognized by her long time crush. On the other, she can totally understand why Keith’s smile would make anyone swoon on the spot. She was a constant victim to it after all.

“Hey, stop dazing out on me.” Keith flicked the top of Pidge’s head. “Just hold on for a few more minutes until we get to our room.”

“I’m going to knock out so hard when we get there,” she sighed tiredly and walked towards the elevators.

“So am I.” Keith followed. “As soon as my head hits the pillow, it’s gonna to be lights out for me.”

For a brief moment, Pidge entertained the idea of them sleeping in the same bed and found herself wanting to laugh and cry at the same time all over again.

Hopefully after some much needed rest, she won’t be this emo over him.  
  


* * *

  
There was something out in the universe that really hated Pidge for whatever inconceivable reason and she couldn’t figure out why.

She had barely taken a couple steps from the doorway when she immediately noticed the crucial dilemma upon entering the hotel room—a single bed.

She knew life wasn’t meant to be fair, but fucking hell, did it have to be this much of a total bitch? She’s been constantly working on her perfect student streak for as long as she could remember and _this_ was how karma was going to reward her?

Crap. This was absolute crap.

This was _not_ what she needed right now. It has already been hard enough sharing the same damn room with Keith and keeping her hands to herself, but to have only one bed available to them? Forget it. She was better off being left alone in the woods.

Before Pidge could say anything, Keith beat her to it.

“This wasn’t my idea.”

Her mouth remained ajar as she turned her head to frown at him in question. What did he mean by that, and why the hell was he blushing like crazy all of a sudden?

“This wasn’t my idea,” he reiterated, taking a cautious step in front of her as he carefully placed their bags on the floor. “I swear.”

Pidge studied his terrified expression with furrowed brows. “What?”

“When I called to book this room they told me it would have two beds,” he explained in one rushed breath. “I didn’t… I didn’t…”

_Oh._

“Keith, it’s fine,” she said, ignoring the warm swell growing inside her chest. “I wasn’t thinking you did.”

“But you seemed so ticked off when you saw the bed.” His looked down. “I thought… maybe you thought I was trying to be like—”

“I wasn’t,” she promised. “I was just… I’m sorry. I’m just tired and a bit annoyed. I really wanted to sleep and this just threw me off.”

“I’ll go downstairs right now to talk to the receptionist. You can hang tight in here until I get us a new room.”

Pidge grabbed his arm before he could take a step. “If it’s going to cost you more money, don’t do it. This isn’t exactly the cheapest city in the world and I know cancellation fees are expensive around here.”

“But this was their mistake.” Keith scowled. “They have to give us a new room.”

She knew he had a point, but she also aware of how packed this hotel was just by seeing the amount of maids cleaning out the rooms on this floor alone. It seemed like it was going to be a full house tonight.

“Let me know what they say either way,” she said. “Text me.”

Keith nodded and hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind him. Pidge waited around for a couple more minutes, in case he came back. Once she was sure he wouldn’t, she went to the bathroom.

Unlike the rest of the hotel, the low-budgeted guests bathrooms was as basic as it can be—a bathtub with a shower head, a couple shelves with neatly folded towels, a single sink with an oversized mirror nailed above, and then a toilet beside it.

Pidge observed her surroundings indifferently as she reached inside her pocket and took out her prescription bottle. She twisted the top open and dumped all the pills into the toilet.

She could hear a voice in the back of her head telling her to stop, but she ignored all its pleas. Pressing down the handle, she watched everything flush down the black hole and tossed the bottle in the trash bin.  
  


* * *

  
They couldn’t get a new room with two beds—not with summertime being one of the two biggest tourist seasons of the year and the hotel being booked full for tonight. The lady at the front desk had advised them that they could always find another place to crash at, but honestly, that was the last thing either of them felt like doing. Also, the cancellation fee turned out to be expensive as hell, just like Pidge said they would.

So what was the grand solution to this painfully cliche road trip situation? Well…

“I can sleep on the floor,” Keith suggested, then flickered his eyes over to the couch by the window. “Or there.”

“You’re about two feet taller than that couch.” Pidge shook her head. “There’s no way you can sleep there.”

“I don’t have much of a choice. You need the bed because of your foot.”

She glanced down at her freshly wrapped ankle and sighed. It was miracle she didn’t slip and fall in the shower when she was scrubbing off all the sweat and grime from her body.

“We could share the bed, you know.”

Everything about the face Keith just made screamed that her idea was a bad one. She would have taken offense to it, if she hadn’t already silently agreed to his non-verbal answer.

“It’s fine—I’ll sleep on the floor,” he decided and uncrossed his arms. “I’ll just wash up first.”

Pidge couldn't get another word in as he grabbed his duffel bag and hastily disappeared inside the bathroom. She leaned back against the headboard, squeezing out the rest of the excess water in her hair with a towel and reached for her bag sitting on the nightstand beside her. She carefully adjusted her legs to place it between her thighs and pulled out her laptop. When she opened it and saw that it was already on, she frowned.

“Why was this thing—oh, right.” She bumped her own head with her palm. “Keith needed Matt to help hack my phone and find me. Duh.”

Seeing that her laptop was less than twenty percent, she began digging inside the bag for her charger. After staring at the bright screen for a few seconds, she suddenly became troubled by something..

In order for Matt to have had Keith hacked her phone using her laptop, they would’ve needed to figure out her password. In order for them to have figured out her password, Matt would’ve needed to explain to Keith about her complicated method when choosing a password.

She wasn’t surprised that together, they had both figured out the first half of her login, but the other half of it… the only person in the world who could’ve been able to figure out that date would’ve been…

Pidge felt her jaw drop and eyes widen as she looked down at her keyboard in disbelief. There are a million thoughts running through her mind right now and it felt like her brain was flipping through the channels at an unimaginable speed. All the gears keep turning until the light bulb moment finally clicked.

Next thing she knew, she was thrusting herself off the bed and heading towards the bathroom.  
  


* * *

  
Keith barely had enough time to cover up his exposed nether regions before Pidge busted inside the bathroom unannounced. She had shoved open the door hard enough that it bounced off the wall behind it with a loud and startling _bang_ ; all the while he scrambled to find first towel his hands could find to push it up against his junk to conceal what he could.

“Pidge, what the hell?!” he shouted, face burning up with ten different shades of red.

She gave him a one-over, but not the kind you would give to someone who was naked and about to jump in the shower. No, she was glaring at him like she was about to beat his ass.

“June 15,” she seethed. “You knew it.”

Keith stood still with a puzzled expression. “What?” It was hard to keep a straight face when he was acutely aware of the extra breeze tingling between his thighs.

“June 15,” Pidge repeated and took a step forward, prompting him to take a wary step back. “June 15 was the day you and I decided to go on this road trip adventure.”

She could see the exact moment Keith figured out what she was talking about. His shifted his gaze off to the side and pressed his mouth in a line.

“Why did you lie to me?” Pidge asked in a scratchy voice. It’s been awhile since she drank anything and her throat was extremely parched. Keith instantly picked up on this.

“You’re thirsty,” he noted, attempting to move around her while securing the towel around his hips. “You should get some water from the fridge.”

She slammed her hand on the sink to prevent him from leaving. “Answer me,” she demanded through her teeth.

“What does it matter?” he muttered, continuing to avoid looking at her. “I found you, didn’t I?”

“Ambiguity is not my style and I’m not about to let it be,” she explained. “The more days we spend together, the more I feel uncertain about what’s been going on between us. I thought I was reading too much into it, or even imagining it most of the time because it’s something I’ve been wanting to happen since like, forever. But for some reason, you’re the one who's making this difficult.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You tell me!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I wasn’t sure about it the other day, but the more I think about it, the more everything started to make sense because of this.”

“And that is?”

“You’re into me as much as I am into you, so why are you trying acting like you aren’t?”

They both felt it at the same time; the atmosphere around them had dramatically changed. It was like an unknown force came in and sucked all the air out of their lungs, rendering them frozen in place.

Pidge’s fingers and lips trembled at the same time. She didn’t know why. Was she scared? Was she regretting her choice to speak up? Was she beating herself internally for reacting without hesitation? Thank god, no tables were being flipped and nothing was getting thrown across the room due to her intense emotions. She would die if Keith ever saw her behave like that.

It was strange. She has never felt this much aggravation toward another individual, yet at the same time, she had never felt this much in control. She was thinking that maybe, just maybe, Keith could be the reason why.

So lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t register him quietly guiding her back to the bed and sitting her down. She jerked back to reality and blinked up at him expectantly.

He was analyzing her with guarded eyes; a hint of vulnerability lying in the pools of his hypnotizing tints of violets and blues. She desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. The longer the silence dragged on, the more it felt like she was treading on thin ice.

“Please say something,” she whispered. Her words came out soft, but they still had that underlying sharp edge to them.

“I have no idea where to start,” Keith admitted, raking his hair back and staring off elsewhere.

Pidge bit her bottom lip and shyly peered down at the floor. “Is this a bad time for me to say that hearing those words has made me curious and excited at the same time?”

He really tried holding back a smile, but it cracked through his reserved exterior and made its way onto his lips. It had been a small one, but it was one, nonetheless.

Pidge repositioned herself to sit on her knees, being mindful of her injured ankle. She elevated herself so that she was merely a few inches below Keith’s eye-level and took his chin between her dainty fingers, gently turning his face to look at her.

“Do you want to kiss me?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” his voice quivered as he reached up to cup his hand around hers. “God, I want to _so_ bad.”

She moved closer and tilted her head. “So then what’s stopping you?”

“I’m not what you need right now.”

She frowned. “Those aren’t things you say to a girl before you make your move.”

“I’m serious,” he said, grabbing her shoulder to pull her back. “I don’t want to get in your way.”

“My way?” Her frown deepened. “Of what?”

“You told me that night at the motel that you wanted three things out of this road trip: you wanted to live in the moment, have some fun, and be the you you’ve always wanted to be.” Keith stepped back to put some more distance between them. “I want to give you the space you need in order for you to find yourself and be happy.”

“But… But if I have you—”

“Then I’ll just get in your way. I’ll become the distraction you don’t need.”

“What would you know about what I need?”

“That’s something for you to find out and tell me later so that I can know how to be with you. I’d rather wait a little longer than to jump into something that might not end up working out.”

Pidge doesn’t get it. Or at least, she thinks she doesn’t.

“So, let me get this straight…” Her brows creased as her frown deepened. “You want me to figure out what I want, so that you could see where you would fit into my life?”

Keith clenched his jaw. “Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

“I think you’d fit just fine,” she muttered, staring him up and down. “From what I can see.”

His fingers twitch around the towel that was still covering his front. “Not what I meant.”

“But it was nice to hear, wasn’t it?”

“I’m going to take my shower now.” He carefully walked backward, glancing over his shoulders with every step. “And…And—”

“Try not to think about how I could be in there with you?”

“Y-You already showered,” he sputtered.

She smirked at the evident blush that appeared on his cheeks and dipped her head. “See ya when you get out?”

Keith didn’t say anything as he hurriedly stumbled back inside the bathroom, closing the door shut with an audible _click._

From the other side, he leaned back against the wall and stared wide eyed at his reflection in the mirror above the sink. He replayed the last ten minutes in his head over and over again until he convinced himself that everything that just happened wasn’t some crazy scenario he made up in his head.

Countless times he had thought about how he would confess to Pidge about his feelings, but never did he imagine it would ever go down like this. All it took was for her to put together a microscopic detail about her password that linked to him to her and just like that, she had him figured out.

How long would it before she realized that he was rapidly falling in love with her?  
  


* * *

  
Somehow, Pidge had convinced Keith that they could share the single bed.

He agreed, but only if she remained under the blankets while he slept on top of it.

“You’re going to freeze,” she said.

“Believe me, I won’t.” He settled down on his respective side of the bed and crossed his arms behind his head. He was wearing his usual joggers and long-sleeved attire.

“You know, you could call the front desk and ask them to give us more blankets.”

“Does it look like I want to get up and use the phone? Besides, I hardly ever get cold.”

Pidge hummed and turned on her side to face him. “Let me guess—your body is like an internal oven?”

He flickered his eyes over to her warily. “Pidge,” he warned.

“What?” she asked innocently.

Keith sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “You’re gonna drive me crazy—I can feel it.”

Pidge was aware that her teasing needed to stop and decided to stop torturing Keith for the evening. She flipped over on her back and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

“So…” she began awkwardly.

“Weren’t you the one who complained about being tired earlier?” He rolled his head to look at her. “I thought you would’ve knocked out by now.”

She shrugged. “I will in a few. It’s not like I can sleep on command.”

“When you’re dead tired, it’s possible.”

Keith could practically hear Pidge’s indiscernible thoughts bouncing around inside her head from the silence that followed afterwards. Eventually, he decided to bite.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

She reached for her phone underneath the pillow and tapped the screen a few times. The room was dark and her phone’s brightness was dialed all the way down, so Keith couldn’t see what she was doing. He was about to question her again until—

“Would you rather be able to talk to land animals or sea animals?”

It took Keith a moment to register her words. When he did, he let out a playful snort. “Really?”

Pidge smiled in response.

“We’re gonna keep this game PG,” he said. “I mean it.”

“I can’t make any promises. The app tends to have a mind of its own.”

Keith could hear the drowsiness in her voice. He was sure she was going to sleep any minute now. “Should I ask _nicely_ then?”

“Sure, if you promise not to break it. Now answer the question.”

Right now, above everything else, Keith would much rather be holding Pidge in his arms and falling asleep just like that.

 _‘Soon,’_ he thought while smiling secretly in the dark. _‘Soon.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, they know they like each other, but they're not together yet. Does this mean the slow burn is still happening or what? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	15. Inked to Infinity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexual tension is rising between Pidge and Keith. To distract herself from temptation, Pidge suggests they go gambling and get tattoos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys we're halfway to the end  
> freakin' FINALLY

When Keith woke up, the space beside him was empty.

“Pidge?” he called out, voice cracking from drowsiness. He raised his head and looked around the room. She was nowhere to be seen.

That didn’t sit well with him.

“Pidge?” he called out again, finding himself immediately on alert. He pulled the sheets away from him and thrusted himself off the bed. Where on earth could she have—

“Yeah?” She suddenly popped her head out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth. “What’s up?”

His shoulders dropped upon seeing her face as he let out an immense sigh of relief. “There you are...”

She paused her movements, raising a questionable brow. “What?”

“I thought you left.”

“And where would I have gone?”

He shrugged lamely after a moment. “No clue.”

She smirked, amused eyes flickering up and down at his disheveled appearance. “Worried much?”

“Yeah, and _really_ confused.” He gestured to the bed. “What the hell happened? I thought we agreed I’d sleep _over_ the covers.”

“Nothing I didn’t want you to do.”

“What?!” Keith screeched, terrified eyes growing wide open.

“I’m _kidding.”_ Pidge stepped back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. “I woke up and saw you shivering in your sleep, so I just threw the sheets on you. I was already awake anyway.”

 _“Fuck,”_ he wheezed and staggered back to rest on the edge of the bed. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“I think you’re too young to have one.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Nothing happened,” she assured again and spit into the sink. “Calm your dick. Literally—your morning wood is standing at full attention.”

All the blood instantly fell from Keith’s face in a blink of an eye. With bated breath, he slowly looked down to see a horrifying tent inside his sweatpants.

Yup, he was hard.

Pidge poked her head back out with a sly smile. “Do you need me to step out the room while you take care of that?”

Keith grumbled out a string of curses as he pushed his front down and hurriedly moved to the corner of the room, facing away from Pidge. He glared at his erection and tried to forcefully will it to go away.

She raised a brow, knowing exactly what he was doing. “I don’t think it works like that.”

“What would you know?!”

“I have an older brother and my two best friends are dudes. Wouldn’t the best thing for you to do is to jack off?”

Keith groaned out-loud and banged his forehead repeatedly against the wall. He hasn’t been awake for more than five minutes and he desperately already wanted the day to be over.

“Relax drama queen.” Pidge rinsed her mouth with water and cleaned up the sink. “It’s normal, and I’m sure you know that.”

“That doesn’t make it less embarrassing—especially around you.”

She dried off her mouth with a towel. “I don’t mind.”

_“I do.”_

“Sucks to be you.”

Keith responded with a hard glare. Pidge threw her head back and laughed.

“Well, I’m done using the bathroom. It’s all yours.” Pidge stepped out, leaving the lights on. “You can take your time in there. No rush.”

“Gee, _thanks.”_

She gave him a cheeky grin and a double peace sign. “No problem.”  
  


* * *

  
After a very interesting morning, the two road-trippers decided to have a late lunch at a small vegetarian cafe they spotted yesterday on the way to the hotel. The inside was a lot nicer than the plain appearance of the outside, where all it had was a sign with the name of the place and today’s specials written on the windows with green paint. When they entered the cafe, they were surprised to see it decked out with sleek modern furniture and a mini stage in the front for live performances.

They seated themselves at a booth near the back to be away from the crowd that was already there. Their table had a glass top with today’s zodiac horoscopes laminated underneath it, which Keith had been skimming over with tired boredom while they waited for their food. Naturally, his eyes flickered back and forth between the Aries and Scorpio astrological charts.

Pidge gently tapped her teacup in a rhythmic pattern, quietly watching Keith be fixated at the words on the table. She squirmed in her seat and anxiously bit the inside of her cheeks, wondering how she was going to start the conversation she had been itching to have since last night.

 _‘Fuck it,’_ she thought. _‘I’ll just come out and say it.’_

Keith must have sensed her distress, because he raised his head to look up at her expectantly. She waited a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke.

“Soooo…” she drawled out.

Keith frowned in question. “Yeah?”

“I've been wondering about something…”

“And that is?”

“Uh… you?”

That earned her a squint. “What?”

 _‘Wow, nice one, Katie.’_ Pidge inwardly groaned and mentally slapped herself. _‘Okay, start over—try again without the creepy factor this time. Go!’_

“So,” she started again, drumming her fingers together nervously, “when were you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?” Keith asked while sipping his orange juice.

“That you like… me.”

The question didn’t surprise Keith. He knew it was coming, but he thought it would’ve happened when they were somewhere a lot more private than a booth in a cafe. He guessed she couldn’t wait much longer for the truth.

“You had a boyfriend in the beginning,” he explained. “Not really the right time to say something like that…”

Pidge blinked twice as her mouth fell slightly open. She sat up straight and stared incredulously at him.

Keith knitted his brows together in confusion. “What?”

“You… You had liked me since then?”

Keith sighed and straightened up as well. He pushed his drink aside and rested his arms on the table. If he was going to be honest with Pidge, then he might as well start from the very beginning.

“A few weeks into that psychology class we shared, there was a lesson about attraction. Do you remember that?”

Pidge wordlessly nodded. Keith continued.

“That’s when I started noticing you. Some heartless idiot spoke up and you shot him down with a single sentence. Then shared your honest insights about the heart. I think it was the first time you ever spoke in class.”

“It was,” she confirmed, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck.

He smiled softly. “Why are you blushing?”

“Because I don’t exactly recall what I said, but it can only either be embarrassing or cheesy as fuck for you to remember.”

“It was definitely cheesy, but it made sense. You said love was like a ghost.”

“That everyone likes to talk about and only a few have ever experienced…” Pidge finished. She covered her eyes and groaned. “I remember now. God, how embarrassing _and_ cheesy.”

“But so true.”

Pidge pulled her hands away from her face and raised a brow. “Are you secretly a hopeless romantic? Cause you’re kinda sounding like one.”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I’ve said before, I’ve never been in a relationship. I can only guess and imagine how I am if I was actually be in one.”

“There’s only one way to find out, but you’re not taking the chance for some reason.”

“You know why.”

Pidge rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. She didn't miss the way Keith’s eyes flickered down to her lips. “For some reason, I can’t seem to remember now,” she whispered.

He didn't flinch and simply brought the cup up to his own lips. He was challenging her intense gaze with his own. “I can refresh your memory.”

She had a better idea. “I’d rather you—”

“Tofu scramble with roasted potatoes on the side?” a new voice interrupted.

“It’s hers,” Keith said without batting an eye, pulling away to make room for the waitress to put down their plates of food.

Pidge sucked in a slow breath and moved back as well. “Thanks,” she muttered bitterly.

When the waitress left, Keith stared at Pidge for a few more seconds before tearing his eyes away and began eating his meal. She would have asked what he had been thinking, if her stomach hadn’t grumbled aloud to remind her that it needed to be fed ASAP.

Keith smirked. “Did that come out of you?”

“So what if it did?” she snapped and picked up her utensils, cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. “I’m starving.”

He curiously sniffed the air and glanced down at her plate. “That actually smells really good.”

Pidge scoops up a spoonful of food and took a bite. She hummed in approval. “It tastes even better. Want to try?”

“Uh, sure.”

Keith picked up a spare fork on the table and was about to use it to take some of Pidge’s food until she stopped him.

“Here,” she said, scooping up a fresh sample of her food. She blew on it to cool it down and brought it towards Keith’s mouth. “Just take a bite…”

Either her words came out a lot more seductive than it needed to be, or Keith’s cruel imagination was playing tricks on him. Whatever the case may be, he hesitated.

Pidge frowned. “What is it? Oh, wait—do you think sharing food like this is weird?”

Keith shook his head. “No, I…” He paused. After a moment, he sighed. “Nevermind.”

Thinking he no longer wanted to try her breakfast, Pidge started retracting her hand back until Keith seized a gentle hold on her wrist.

“May I?” he asked softly.

She nodded slowly, unsure of why her heart was now rapidly thumping against her chest. “Of course. I’m the one who offered.”

The corner of his lips quirked up. “Thanks,” he mumbled and leaned forward to take a bite out of her food.

A seemingly innocent exchange between two friends was anything but innocent. Keith’s thumb absentmindedly stroke up and down on Pidge’s forearm while he chewed with Pidge staring wide eyed at him.

This was absolutely nuts. The tip of his finger was barely brushing her skin and yet, his touch was sending shockwaves of excitement throughout her body. Was she getting turned on by this? Was Keith aware of what he was doing to her? What the hell was going on? There was no way he didn’t notice how much she was squirming around in her seat.

It didn’t help that he was maintaining eye contact the entire time, which made Pidge suspect that he knew exactly what he was doing. But how? If he was never with anyone before, how could he understand why she was quietly going mad? Unless… Unless he was the type to—

“You’re right,” Keith whispered, releasing her arm. “It tastes even better.”

Any train of thought Pidge’s mind was heading to vanished and sent her back to the present. Suddenly, it didn’t matter what conclusion her thinking was about to disclose. Nothing from before would change the fact that Keith was sitting here right now, having breakfast with her inside a cafe, and planning to spend the rest of this summer together with her.

She smiled. “Told ya.”

He smiled too and went back to eating his own meal.

Unbeknownst to him, Pidge had her legs crossed underneath the table, stroking her inner thigh the same way he had been stroking her forearm.

She was so going to get back at him for this.  
  


* * *

 ****  
_**Keith (2:32 PM):**_  
_Taking our final exams was easier than this._

_**Lance (2:34 PM):**  
easier than what? _

_******Keith (2:35 PM):**_  
_Oh shit  
You’re awake? What time is it over there? _

_**Lance (2:35 PM):** _  
_Lol it’s only 9 dude_

 **_Keith (2:36 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Oh_

 **_Lance (2:36 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Is this about Pidge? ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )_

 **_Keith (2:37 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Who else would it be about?_

 **_Lance (2:38 PM):_ ** _  
_ _I could name some other girls in our classes_

 **_Keith (2:38 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Idk any of them_

 **_Lance (2:39 PM):_ **  
_So loyal_ _  
_ What’s the problemo?

 **_Keith (2:40 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Her_

 **_Lance (2:45 PM):_ ** _  
_ _… AND????_

 **_Keith (2:46 PM):_ ** _  
_ _This is really hard_

 **_Lance (2:47 PM):_ **  
_You ever think that maybe, you should just_  
_Idk_  
_Just BE with her_  
_be her boyfriend, officially_ _  
_ Like, I know what your plan is & everything but there are some areas where it doesn’t make sense to me

 **_Keith (2:49 PM):_ ** _  
_ _This is what she needs, trust me._

 **_Lance (2:51 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Then you better get acquainted with cold showers & hope that she never sees you with a morning wood _

-x-x-x-x-

Keith groaned out loud and dragged a hand down his face. He would rather die than ever tell Lance that Pidge had already seen his “morning wood”.

-x-x-x-x-

 **_Lance (2:52 PM):_ ** _  
_ _What are u 2 doing now?_

 **_Keith (2:53 PM):_ ** _  
_ _She’s showering and I’m hanging out in the hotel lounge_

 **_Lance (2:54 PM):_ ** _  
_ _She kicked you out?_

 **_Keith (2:55 PM):_ ** _  
_ _I wanted to step out until she was done_

 _**Lance (2:56 PM):** _  
_HA_  
_Probably for the best_

 _**Keith (2:57 PM):** _  
_Trust me, it is...  
_

* * *

  
Pidge has had her fair share of sexual tensions in the past, but the one between her and Keith was so palpable, it couldn’t even compare. It’s only been fourteen hours since they more-so-or-less confessed their feelings towards each other and it was driving her crazy that she just _couldn’t have him._

As much as she wanted them to become something more, she wasn’t going to demand it from him. Just because they were into each other, didn't mean she was going to disrespect Keith’s wishes and force him to cross the line when he wasn’t ready. (Even though he had explained he was mainly holding out for _her_ sake…).

So, what she needed was a distraction for the time being. Something to do to make her forget all of her sexual frustrations and temporarily disregard that she was sleeping in the same room with a guy who liked her just as much as she liked him.

The million dollar question bounced around in her head for hours and hours until a brochure ad sitting on the nightstand gave her a brilliant idea.

“Hey Keith,” she called from the bed, “let’s go gambling.”

He arched his brow and looked over at her. “You want to go _gambling?”_

“Downstairs,” Pidge added and scooted closer to the center of the bed. “What do you say?”

He scrunched his nose. “I don’t know.”

“Come onnnnn,” she whined. “I’m bored as hell. We’re just sitting here in this room doing nothing anyway.”

“We’re watching a movie.”

“We’re doing absolutely nothing.”

“You can’t even do much with your foot.”

“All I did was tear my fascia a little.”

“You couldn’t even put weight on it the first day.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t go out and _do_ stuff.”

“Unless you can figure out a way to get around somehow without using it, I’m not going to let you make it worse just because you’re bored.” Keith got up from the couch and walked towards the door. “I’m going to call Shiro to give him an update. I didn’t realize it was nine.”

Pidge rolled on her back and allowed her head to dangle off the edge of the bed. “Pleeeeeaaaase?”

“Maybe some other time when you can walk. Be right back.”

She pouted at his exit. “Phooey…”

Pidge lifted her upper half off the bed using her elbows and swung her legs around until she was sitting up. Carefully, she brought her injured foot on her lap and unwrapped the first few layers of the compression bandage.

“Shit,” she muttered. It was still swollen.

Alright, so she should obviously listen to Keith’s advice and take it easy, but _fuck—_ she was bored out of her goddamn mind. Isn’t there _anything_ she could do that doesn’t involve watching this boring ass movie the hotel provided?

Well, she could always go on her laptop to work on one of the new programs she has been secretly developing in her free time, but then what would Keith do? Stare at her? Watch more movies? Yawn. He might as well waste the evening away and sleep until morning.

Pidge won’t let that become an option. Every day that they’re on this road trip was meant to be an adventure. Even with her injury, she won’t let it hinder their fun. She still owed Keith so much for running over his bike, letting her unleash all of her emotional baggage on him, and delaying his plans to go meet his birth mother just so she could have the best summer ever.

She turned her head to look at the door Keith just walked out and sighed. He really was the most selfless person she had ever met, even if he could be a bit of an ass at times.

No wonder she liked him so much.

 _‘Alright—enough of the sap, Katie,’_ she scolded herself. _‘You gotta figure out a way to not waste the rest of the night.’_ She crossed her arms and tapped her chin in thought. _‘Think—how are you going to get around without having to walk?’_

A loud commotion outside had Pidge curiously looking out the window and down at the sidewalk. There was a lady arguing with a man sitting in a wheelchair. When she shouted something and began walking away, the man hurriedly got out the chair and started going after to her as fast as he could with a casted leg. The hotel’s logo was branded on the seat.

Pidge smirked. _‘Jackpot.’_  
  


* * *

  
“You got yourself a wheelchair,” Keith sighed. _“Why?”_

“You said that if I could get around somehow without using my foot, that we'd go and gamble.”

“I don’t think I _actually_ said those words.”

“But the implication was there.” Pidge smiled triumphantly and patted her arm rests. “And I found my solution.”

After Keith talked to Shiro, he went back inside their room, expecting to chill out for the rest of the evening. Imagine his surprise when there was a knock on the door from the concierge who was there to deliver a wheelchair for Pidge.

Needless to say, his face was priceless.

“Do you really want to gamble that bad?” Keith asked.

Pidge shrugged. “It’s something new for me to do, so I figured, why not? Isn’t that the point of this road trip?”

“There’s really nothing exciting about it.”

“You’ve played before?”

He nodded. “With Shiro and Allura a few times.”

“Sweet—then you can show me!”

“You know you gotta spend the money to try and win some back, right? And there’s a high chance you’ll walk out with way less than what you spent.”

“That’s why they call it gambling. I know the risks I’m taking. Plus, if by some miracle we do manage to win a decent amount of money, we could go do some crazy shit with it.”

“Like what?”

“Have you ever wanted a tattoo?”

Keith tilted his head to the side in thought. “I’ve thought about it a few times.”

“So then let’s go!” Pidge wheeled herself towards the door. “What are we waiting for?”

“You want to win some money just so we can get tattoos?”

“I mean that’s one thing.”

“Your arms are going to get sore by the time we get to the elevator.” Keith went behind her and gripped the handlebars. “I’ll push you.”

She took no offense and waved her hands. “Less work for me.”

“Wait…” Keith looked around the room. “Where are your pills? Did you take them today?”

“I took it when you were outside talking to Shiro,” Pidge replied breezily and opened the door. “Card keys?”

“I got them.” Keith patted the front pocket of his jeans. “Let’s go.”

Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, Pidge could feel the recurring afterburn of her lie and stared down sadly at her lap.

For the first time in a long time, she felt guilty about it.  
  


* * *

  
The lingering smell that was mixed of cigar and cigarette smoke hit them before they even stepped foot into the casino, leaving Pidge wondering why she didn’t notice it before when her and Keith were at the lobby last night. It was awful to say the least, but she knew she could ignore the odor once they started playing some games.

“How much do you want to play for?” Keith asked while studying the place. He forgot how colorful and noisy casinos were. Everything from the tiles on the ceiling to the hundreds of slot machines had a soft, muted glow to them with different shades of red, blue, and yellow. Every other second the sound of reels spinning and coins hitting metal would reach his ears, along with snippets of melodies coming from the slot machines.

Pidge pondered for a moment. “Fifty bucks.”

“What?!” Keith bellowed. “Are you crazy?”

“You said I needed to spend some to win some, right?”

“Couldn’t you have started off with a couple dollars or something?”

“Where is a couple dollars going to take me?”

“How about a not-so-broke bank account?” Keith reasoned. When Pidge rolled her eyes, he stepped around in front of her. “I’m serious—gambling can become an addiction. Shiro and I had to drag Allura out after the first hour because she couldn’t stop after winning thirty bucks on her first try. We've got to do this carefully.”

“Okaaaaay...” Pidge crossed her arms and legs. “Then what do you suggest, _Dad?”_

“Five dollars on me with a game of your choice to start off.” Keith pulled out a wallet and took out a crisped bill. “Deal?”

Maybe it was the fact that they were in Las Vegas and standing in the middle of a casino, but for some reason, Pidge couldn’t help but envision Keith walking down a stripper stage wearing nothing but black pants, a fedora, and boots. Her eyes flickered from the five dollar bill in his hand to his face a few times, wondering how much she would’ve paid to have him to entertain her.

Pidge suddenly flinched at the thought, eyes going wide in shock. Where the hell did _that_ hypothetical scenario come from?

“Uhh, Pidge?” Keith furrowed his brows. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She gulped and pulled her collar. Her face felt like it was on fire. “It’s just hot in here.”

It was hot in other places too, but she’ll just keep that detail to herself.

* * *

  
Keith genuinely could not find a plausible reason as to why Pidge wanted to do this in the first place. Gambling just doesn’t seem to suit her style at all, but what was he going to do?

Nothing. The only thing he _could_ do was to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble and have some fun.

He knew she lied about taking her medication earlier. When he was throwing away some old receipts that were balled up inside his pockets, he saw the prescription bottle at the bottom of the trash and noticed it was empty. If he hadn’t been on his knees picking up loose change that fell behind the toilet, he would’ve missed it.

As Keith quietly watched Pidge insert the single bills into a slot machine, his mind ran through possibilities as to why she had emptied out the pills and tossed the bottle away. They were supposed to help with the inflammation on her ankle. When they were at the urgent clinic, she didn’t mention being allergic to any medication (aside from the time she was certain she’d have some allergy attack for going on their first hike together, but that was merely her being dramatic for doing something that was clearly out of her comfort zone).

He needed to find out why she lied to him about taking the pills before bringing it up. It was obvious she didn’t like being on the receiving end of confrontation and the last thing he needed was for her to run off to who-knows-where again.

“Alright, now what do I do?” Pidge looked up at Keith. They were in front of an old-fashioned slot machine that looked like it belonged in a 1950s diner. “Do I just pull the lever down and hope that I get three sets of the same match?”

“Pretty much.” Keith rested his elbow on the machine and placed his hand on his cheek. “You get three tries. The cartoon lady with the red dress is your goal since she’s the $200 bonus.”

“... can you push the lever halfway down for me please?”

He smirked. “Can’t reach?”

“Not when I’m all the way down here!” Pidge snapped.

“Arms too short?”

“Screw you.”

Keith laughed and pushed the lever until she could get her hands on it. Pidge continued to glare at him while she pulled the toggle the rest of the way down.

“You’re supposed to be watching the reel,” Keith said.

“I can look where I want.”

“Am I really that much of a distraction?” The machine continued to spin softly in the background.

“What if I answer ‘no’?”

“Then you’re lying to yourself.”

Pidge’s right eye twitched as her cheeks flushed. “You—”

The chime from the slot machine drew their attention back on the reel; two coconuts and one banana were displayed. They didn’t win anything.

“That’s it?” Pidge asked.

“Pretty much,” Keith replied. “I don’t know what you were expecting.”

“Well, that was anticlimactic.”

“You have four more tries.” He smirked again when he pushed the lever down far enough for her to grab. “Good luck.”

Pidge’s eye twitched. “You’re an ass.”

“You like my ass.”

“That’s not what I said!”

“Didn’t have to.”

Pidge harrumphed and pulled the lever down again. She crossed her arms and slumped back in her temporary wheelchair, watching the reels spin fast. A moment later, they each landed on a different fruit.

“This would be more fun if we were drinking,” she muttered.

“You’re underage.”

“Not if I was in Canada.”

“But we're not.”

Pidge gasped dramatically in response. Keith rolled his eyes and pushed the lever all the way down, taking her turn.

“You can act like you’re annoyed with me all you want, but now that I know the truth, it just makes everything that much more fun.” Pidge grinned.

“I _am_ annoyed.”

“You’re so full of it.”

“You’re one to talk—”

The unexpected harsh sounds of bells ringing hurled Keith and Pidge’s ears at an uncomfortable pitch that had them both wincing. Keith flinched violently away from the machine and defensively stood in front of Pidge while she covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

“What the hell?!” she yelled, voice barely audible above the noise.

“Holy shit…” Keith breathed, eyes going wide. “You won.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“You won,” he repeated and tapped her shoulder. “Look up!”

Pidge jerked her head up to see what he was talking about and gasped in disbelief. Right there, displayed on the three reels in front of them was a complete and undisturbed row of the cartoon lady wearing the red dress. A few people around them began to clap, celebrating their victory. The bells over the machine finally stopped ringing.

“No. Fucking. _Way.”_

“You won,” Keith said again and smiled at her. “Talk about beginner’s luck, huh?”

 _“You_ won,” she corrected. “It was your money we put in there _and_ you pushed the lever.”

“Want to continue playing?”

“Hell no. Cash that money. We’re done here.”

Keith laughed and pushed the button to print their voucher. “Does that mean you want to leave?”

“God yes.” Pidge rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t realize how much freakin’ smoke burned my eyes. It reeks in here!” Inwardly, she cursed herself for having a sensitive nose. She knew it wasn’t as bad as she was making it out to be.

Keith grabbed the receipt from the machine and held it up. “So, tattoos?”

“Wait—what?” She blinked up at him. “Seriously?”

“It was your idea.”

“I was like, half-joking. I’ve never even thought about getting one!”

“Well, now here's your chance to.” Keith went behind her and began pushing her towards one of the Ticketing Voucher machines. “You don’t have to get anything noticeable. I was thinking about getting something small on my wrist or finger. Maybe on my bicep.”

“Like?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know yet. Something will come to me.”

“... You’re actually serious about this.”

“Why not? Getting inked during the summer sounds like something all the cool kids are doing.”

Pidge snorted. “So now you want to be part of the ‘in’ crowd?”

“No—we’re much cooler than that.”

“How cool?”

“Like… ice cool?”

Pidge doubled over and busted out laughing. Keith’s forehead ticked as he glared at her; a light pink color dusting over his cheeks.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” She reached up to playfully fist-bumped his chin. “I’ll give you props for trying, and I still like you.”

Keith blushed harder and inserted the voucher into the machine. “Whatever…”  
  


* * *

  
To neither of their surprise, they found a tattoo parlour not too far from the hotel.

What did surprise them was that it took them over an hour to find it because of how concealed it was. They had circled around the block over a dozen times before Keith finally noticed a hidden alley next to a crowded pizzeria. When they walked down the street, they found a steel door and a barely eligible sign above it.

“Blade of Marmora,” Pidge read, then frowned. “Well, that’s unique. And weird. Did I even say that right? I’m pretty sure I said that wrong.”

“They’ve got good reviews for being a hole-in-the-wall kind of place,” Keith said and turned his phone around for her to see.

“And yet, they couldn’t make their font look less like hieroglyphics?”

“Aesthetics, maybe?” Keith shrugged. “I think it looks cool. How’s your foot?”

“It’s fine right now. The sooner we sit down, the better.” Pidge rotated her ankle and was glad to feel it was hardly swollen anymore. “Too bad I had to return the wheelchair. I was finally getting the hang of it.”

“You didn’t even have it for long.”

Pidge didn't reply as she studied the entrance suspiciously, crossing her arms

Keith’s eyes flickered back and forth between her and the door. “What is it?”

“How do you open it? There’s no door handle.”

When Keith looked to check, he saw that she was right and frowned. “The hell?”

“Are you sure we’re at the right place? What if this is one of those underground clubs?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Keith knocked three times on the door and then pressed his ear against it. When he didn’t hear any approaching footsteps, he knocked again a little louder.

This time, a buzzer went off and the door slid opened to reveal someone standing there.

“Holy shit,” Pidge murmured under her breath. She kept raising her head to find this person’s face, but no matter how far up she tried to look, she just couldn’t. It wasn’t until she took a few steps back that she was able to take in their complete appearance.

They were tall and jacked—insanely so. To the point where Pidge felt like a dwarf and a noodle compared to them.

“Good evening,” they greeted in a deep, masculine, yet oddly soft voice. “Did you have an appointment with Kolivan?”

Pidge and Keith looked at each other in question, then back at the stranger, shaking their heads.

“Would you like to make one?”

“Uh, do we have to?” Pidge asked.

“You’re here to get inked, correct?”

“Yeah, but it’s a spur of a moment kind of thing,” Keith explained. “We’re not asking for anything complicated to be done.”

“Hm, if that is so…” They glanced over their shoulders. “Perhaps he could squeeze you in before his next client shows up. What is your name?”

“Keith.”

“And I’m Pidge.” She waved meekly.

“I’m Ulaz.” He stepped aside and motioned them to come inside. “Welcome to the Blade of Marmora. Please, watch your step and follow me.”  
  


* * *

  
Blade of Marmora—as Keith and Pidge learned from Ulaz—is a private underground studio owned by a guy who went by the name Kolivan, and he purposely chose this location to give off the “secret society” vibe to make every customer feel “exclusive”.

Pidge had to hand it to the guy. He achieved exactly what he was aiming for and she was thoroughly fascinated. By the look of awe on Keith’s face, she could tell he was loving it as well.

Ulaz directed them down a staircase as soon as they entered. Each step was lit up with a delicate glow of purple to use as a guide to step down carefully. There were rails on both sides of the brick walls for Pidge to use to help with her balance, but Keith wasn’t taking any chances and decided to carry her down on his back. Ulaz apologized for the inconvenience and offered to show the employee route instead that had an elevator, but Keith assured it was okay and they continued on.

They were met with another door at the bottom of the staircase, except this one had a handle that Ulaz used to pull it open.

“Welcome to the Blade of Marmora,” he said. “Take a seat anywhere you like. Kolivan will be out shortly.”

If there was a single word Pidge had to use to describe what she was seeing, it would be—

“Wow,” she gasped. “This place looks…”

“Amazing,” Keith finished, equally stunned.

Pidge had been surrounded by luxury all her life, but even she was impressed by the spectacular architecture the place had.

The domed ceiling was spray painted over with what looked like the solar system.There was a moon-shaped chandelier in the center and several mini stars hanging around it and picture framed art covered the black walls, which were casted with bright spotlights coming from the dark wooden floors. The velvet furnitures and glass cases with an assortment of piercings gave off the right amount of touch to bring this parlour together.

Ulaz smiled at their reactions and presented the bar off to the side. “Would you like me to bring out Regris to fix you two up with a drink while I go fetch Kolivan?”

Pidge was certain there was some kind of law prohibiting tattoo artists from inking clients, but hey, she was in Las Vegas, after all, so why the hell not?

“Ulaz, is my ten-thirty already here?” A voice asked, the sound of footsteps approaching coming from the large hallway in the back. Two new faces emerged from behind the curtains.

It took everything in Pidge to not gap at them because _holy shit_ —how was everyone so damn tall and jacked here?!

“What happened to her?” the same voice from before questioned Ulaz and pointed at Pidge. “Did she fall down the stairs?”

“No,” Pidge answered, evidently annoyed. She never liked being talked about like she wasn’t in the room. “My boyfriend is just being cautious since I injured myself the other night.”

Keith squeezed her thighs and cleared his throat disapprovingly. She smirked at him and slid down his back.

“I see,” the person said and reached their hand out to greet them. “I’m Kolivan. It’s nice to meet you two.”

“Whoa.” Keith gawked at his arm. “Nice sleeve.”

“Thank you. This was all Antok’s work.” Kolivan gestured to the man standing next to him. “He’s my apprentice. He lost his hearing some time ago, but he is able to read lips without a problem and is more than qualified to provide anything you want.”

Pidge nodded in understanding and turned to face Antok. Using her hands, she asked him if he knew American Sign Language.

Antok’s eyes widened and he replied with an absolute yes, using his hands as well.

“You know how to sign?” Keith stared incredulously at Pidge. “I didn’t know that. Since _when?”_

“I had to take two years of foreign language classes in high school before I could graduate,” Pidge explained, still signing. “I’m a little rusty now since I don’t practice as much as I used to, but I can still carry on a conversation if I need to.”

Antok told her that her signing was great. She smiled and thanked him.

“This is fantastic,” Ulaz said, signing as well. “Kolivan, if you wish to allow it, Keith and Pidge would like something simple to be done. To cut the work time in half, Antok could work on Pidge while you work on Keith.”

“If it’s something simple, I don’t see why not,” Kolivan agreed. “I have an hour to spare. Shall we all go inside to discuss what each of you want?”

Keith and Pidge looked at each other and grinned.

“Let’s go be one of the coolest kids on the block,” Pidge joked and nudged his side.

Keith rolled his eyes and chuckled, nudging back. “Let’s do it.”  
  


* * *

   
The moment Pidge sat in the patron’s chair, her nerves finally got to her. When she saw the tattoo machines and needles laid out on a table behind Antok, it showed on her face.

 _“Are you okay?”_ he asked with his hands, taking a seat on a stool across from her.

Kolivan had a strict policy when it came to discussing with a client about what tattoo they wanted to get. He preferred it to be done in a one-on-one private setting since he believed that for the benefit of the client, it will bring out what they truly want.

“I’m a little nervous,” Pidge admitted, glad that Keith and Kolivan were two rooms down so that they couldn't hear her. Talking while signing helped articulate her hands better. “It’s my first time.”

Antok smiled sympathetically. _“I was nervous too the first time.”_

“What did you get?”

Antok moved his long black hair to the side and revealed a large, red rose on his neck.

“Whoa…” Pidge’s eyes widened. “That’s a pretty big tattoo to get for your first time.”

_“I know, but it’s also my favorite.”_

“It’s gorgeous.”

_“Thank you. Where were you thinking about getting yours?”_

“Somewhere where my parents definitely can’t see.”

Antok’s shoulders shook from laughter. _“They wouldn’t be a big fan of this, huh?”_

“You got that right. I love them to death, but they can be a couple of prudes sometimes.”

_“They’re just looking out for you. What does your boyfriend think about this? He seemed pretty excited.”_

Pidge’s face faltered at this. Antok frowned.

_“Is something wrong?”_

She sighed. “Just something personal. I’ll get over it.”

_“I don’t mind you telling me.”_

“Won’t you get in trouble with Kolivan?”

_“My job is to help bring out the best work of art from the clients. If you need to get something off your chest to bring that art to life, I’m willing to listen. Also, I want to help out. You seem like the type to have a lot on your plate, but don’t like to burden others in your life with your problems.”_

Pidge breathed out a somber laugh. “No one expects me to have any problems. At all.”

_“Does it have to do with Keith?”_

“He’s the only one who seems to understand…” She scowled. “He's also the only one who is driving me crazy.”

_“How so?”_

“You sure you’re ready to hear this? It’s a pretty wild story and you might not believe half of it.”

_“I’m sure.”_

Pidge wondered what it was about Antok that made it so easy to open up to him. She hardly knew him, but she guessed it was probably easier to talk to a stranger than to someone who saw her as the golden child of the Holt family. Also, he had been right before—she needed to get some stuff off her chest.

“Two weeks ago, I ran over Keith’s bike at a parking lot,” she began. “It was the worst and best thing I have ever done in my life…”  
  


* * *

  
Keith examined his tatted bicep the mirror and smiled, running a hand up and down his forearm. “Kolivan, this looks badass.” He turned to check it out from the side view, grinning even bigger. “I don’t know how to thank you enough for squeezing me into your schedule.”

Kolivan’s wait list for more intricate tattoos is up to a year long. Every now and then he will squeeze in a few customers in between appointment sessions if what they’re looking for could be done within an hour. He got Keith done within forty minutes and the quality of his work was top notch, especially since he free-handed everything without using a stencil.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Kolivan assured, walking up behind him with a clear bandage roll. “Space fascinates me as much as it fascinates you, so it was hard for me to say no to your request.”

Keith extended out his arm for Kolivan to wrap up. “I can’t wait to show Pidge.”

“She should be sitting in the lounge right now. I saw her and Antok out in the hall not too long ago.”

After Kolivan gave Keith a cleaning kit and a thorough briefing on how to take care of his tattoo, Antok came in to escort Keith out. Kolivan gave Keith a business card and stayed behind to clean up his station before the next client’s arrival.

As soon as Keith drew the curtains aside to step into the lounge, Pidge excitedly stood on her feet and bounced over to him. She gasped as soon as she saw Kolivan’s work on his arm.

“You got the phases of the moon around your bicep? That’s sick!” she exclaimed.

“Right?” Keith beamed. “I’m obsessed. I think I made Kolivan take a dozen pictures before he wrapped me up.”

“I’d be too, shit. His shading is amazing.”

“Wait, you didn’t get one?”

Pidge shook her head and smiled sadly. “I couldn’t go through with it. I wasn’t sure about what I wanted.”

Keith shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I didn’t make you wait long, did I?”

“I was pretty entertained.” She pointed at the pictures on the walls. “Antok was showing me some of his badass designs here.”

“Well, if you change your mind before we leave in the next couple days, Kolivan gave me his business card. I’m gonna go pay right now so we can go back to the hotel.”

Pidge gave him a thumbs up and watched him go to the bar where Regris rang him up for Kolivan’s service. She could feel Antok’s eyes on her back and look over her shoulder.

 _“You’re really not going to tell him?”_ he asked.

 _“Later,”_ she signed without speaking. _“Maybe he was onto something about the waiting, I’ve realized.”_

_“I hope everything works out for you.”_

She smiled. _“Thank you for everything.”_

 _“Of course.”_ He smiled back. _“We’re friends now.”_

Pidge was sure she and Keith would return to this place. If not over the next few days, she was sure they would make time in the future to come back and visit.  
  


* * *

  
“Wow, you really can’t stop staring at that, can you?”

“I can’t help it—I love it.” Keith raised his arm in front of a mirror and flexed. “It looks even better when I do this.”

Pidge knew he wasn’t trying to show off, but that didn’t stop her from eyeing him intently. He was wearing a loose tank and sweatpants; a casual and sexy combination that showed off his body in all the places that made her weak. “Does it hurt?”

“There’s an ache, but it’s not uncomfortable. The swelling has already gone down.”

“I see.” She moved from the bathroom’s doorway and walked around Keith to give him a light push. “Now, get out already. I needed to pee for like, ten minutes.”

“My bad. Leaving now.” He stepped out. “Do you want to watch something until we knock out?”

“Sure. Use my laptop and pick whatever you want. If you’re feeling it, I got the wires to hook it up to the TV.”

“You got it.” Keith smiled and closed the door for her, no doubt still being giddy over his first ink. God, he was too cute sometimes.

Pidge placed her shower kit on the counter and opened it to take out her toothbrush. She was about to start brushing her teeth when a lancing pain abruptly shot across her chest.

“Fuck,” she hissed and hunched over, gripping the edge of the sink to steady herself. Antok had warned her this would happen from time to time; that it was a normal occurrence for people with fresh chest tattoos.

Making sure the door was locked, Pidge discarded her shirt and looked at her reflection in the mirror to inspect the source of pain.

Right in the center of her chest and above her breast area was an infinity symbol, with the numbers _06_ inside the left loop and _15_ inside the right one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate the halfway point of this story, I'm going to answer any questions you guys have below so long as it doesn't spoil the story (or if you're clever enough you might up getting it anyways using the right words lol who knows).
> 
> Also, I do this thing on my twitter where I give mild spoilers and show previews of the fics I’m working on almost everyday. So, if you ever want to peep at those, [**_you totally can._**](https://twitter.com/narycanary)


	16. Take A Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The anticipated moment we've all been waiting for.

**PRESENT**

Sleeping in the same bed with Keith for the second night in a row was a little easier, or so Pidge had hoped it would be.

Here’s a hint—it was far from it.

For one, she couldn’t lay on her stomach, which— _of course_ —happened to be her favorite position to sleep in. Her chest was still sore from getting her tattoo a few hours ago and any pressure she put on it would make it ache even more.

Secondly, it was a warm summer night, and she was concerned about sweating through the thin sheets covering her body. At the moment, she envied every person in the world who didn’t perspire as much as she did.

Then—since Keith got his tattoo on his left arm—the only position he could sleep in was on his right side, and that meant he had to sleep facing Pidge.

She ended up settling on her right side as well to avoid… well, to avoid not putting themselves in an intimate situation they weren’t ready for.

It had been completely different when they were sharing a room and sleeping on separate beds. They had a greater distance between them and the temptation wasn’t as strong.

Now, it was so easy to simply reach out and touch one another.

She squirmed around to find the right spot, listening to the faint noises outside the window and people treading through the halls. Fuck, she should’ve had taken Keith’s side of the bed earlier. Why didn’t she think of doing that before? For what reason was she given a brain for?

“Pidge.”

Her body tensed upon Keith calling her name. It took some time for her to reply. “Yeah?”

“Are you alright? You keep moving.”

“... Sorry,” she grumbled and brought her knees close to her chest, mindful of her tattoo. “I don't mean to be restless tonight.”

“Should I take the couch?”

“No, don’t—don’t do that.” She flipped on her back and turned her head to look at him through the darkness, resting her hands on her stomach. She instantly regretted it when she saw his half-lidded eyes. Damn that stupid pretty face. “You might mess up your cool new ink.”

He scoffed in exhaustion. “A tragedy.”

“It would be after managing to get the best artist in town to work with you.”

“True.” He lightly tapped the mattress with his finger. “So, what’s keeping you up?”

“Stuff.”

“Like?”

“I don’t think I should answer that.”

She had been banking him to take her answer for what it was and leave it at that. It wasn’t anything that would tease or provoke him, but that’s what she was hoping he would be thinking.

The last thing she had expected him to do was to reach out and grab one of her hands.

“K-Keith?” she squeaked.

“Do you remember the spring break bonfire we went to three months ago?” he suddenly asked.

“Uhm…” Pidge gulped, feeling her body heat rise up to the boiling point. Shit, her palms were beginning to get sweaty. “Y-Yeah—wait, how’d you know I was there?”

“I saw you.”

She pondered for a moment. “At the liquor table? Cause’ that’s when I saw you.”

He shook his head. “I noticed you way before that. You were standing by the palm trees wearing an oversized hoodie. You looked upset.”

Pidge sighed. She remembered. “I had a fight with my parents that night. That’s why I was even at the party. I just… needed to get away from them for a bit. Y’know, clear my head.”

Keith soothingly rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I had a feeling. It’s why I was trying to get to you before anyone else noticed you were there.”

“You were?” Forget the butterflies. There were a series of tidal waves having a party inside her stomach.

He nodded. “Though, I had half a mind to throw Lance into the bonfire.”

She giggled. “The pissed off look on your face when you walked away now makes perfect sense.”

“You noticed that?”

“Like I’ve said before, you stand out in the best way.” She bit her lip. “Why… Why are you telling me this now?”

“You seemed troubled about something, and I thought me telling you this would make you feel a little better.”

“... Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?”

He laced their warm fingers together. Ironically, a shiver trickled down Pidge’s spine. “Me too.”

So much for holding out until the timing was right.

“What's gotten into you?” Pidge couldn’t help but question. “Just the other day you were so determined to—”

“I know,” Keith softly interrupted and elevated himself on his elbow. “I was trying to be selfless and put your needs above mine, but… goddammit Pidge. It’s hard. It’s really hard when all I want to do is be closer to you.”

Pidge was sure her heart had stopped beating the second his face hovered above hers. She didn’t even realize when he shifted over and had to consciously remember to keep breathing.

“And that’s why I need to tell you this before anything else happens between us.” Keith squeezed her hand and released a shaky breath. His entire body was trembling. “I need to tell you I’m sorry.”

Pidge didn’t trust herself to form proper words and let out a confused, “Huh?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I wasn’t honest with you before about why I didn’t think it would be a good idea for us to be together. The truth is, I was scared.”

“Of… what?”

“I’ve never been good at connecting with people, but with you, for some reason, it was natural. Yeah, we butted heads a lot in the beginning and you had every reason to leave me behind for being a jerk to you, but you didn’t.” Keith raised their joined hands and pressed them against his chest to where his heart was beating wildly inside. “Up until recently, Shiro has been the only one in my life who's never abandoned me, and to know that you never gave up on me even when I tried to leave, I… I’m speechless. I’m glad I’m not invisible to you anymore.”

Pidge’s stomach clenched with guilt. “I made you feel invisible?”

Keith hesitantly nodded, and the knot in her gut twisted even more. She had no idea she made him feel that way...

“But—But it’s okay,” he reassured in a hushed tone, squeezing her hand. “I’m used to it—”

“The campus local café,” she blurted out.

Keith furrowed his brows. “What?”

“The campus’s local café,” Pidge repeated and sat up to match his eye-level. “That’s where I first saw you. I was looking through the window and saw you standing underneath the rain. Well… you weren’t _really_ standing underneath it you were standing under the awning. But, yeah.” She scratched the back of her neck and shyly averted Keith’s gaze. “I didn’t know your name at the time, so in my mind, you were just that one stranger I was stupidly attracted to.”

Keith stayed silent, giving Pidge a few seconds to recollect her courage and continue.

“I don’t believe in instant attraction at first sight. That just seems like a ridiculous fairy tale. But…” She raised her head to meet his eyes again. “That’s exactly what happened with you. I couldn’t get you out of my mind for the longest time and when I realized who you were, I just felt more drawn to you. Normally, I don’t let Lance rant off until my ears fall of, but I let him when it came to you. You were a walking mystery I wanted to unravel and I became fascinated with everything that you did.”

Keith’s eyes had widened like saucers during Pidge’s mini speech. She smiled and slipped her free hand behind his neck.

“I forgive you,” she whispered.

He gulped. “T-Thank you.”

She giggled and rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes.

He shivered upon feeling her breath against his lips and closed his as well.

They tilted her heads and leaned in; barely an inch away when—

A fire alarm went off.

Pidge cried out and jerked away, nearly flailing off the bed had Keith not been quick enough to secure a firm grip around her waist and pulled her towards him. He moved her underneath him and guarded her using his own body, scanning around the room to possibly find a clue as to what was going on.

 _“Attention everyone!_ _This is not a drill,”_ a voice on the intercom explained. _“Please find the nearest exit and calmly evacuate the premises.”_

Keith and Pidge rolled their eyes and groaned in irritation, dropping their heads back.

 _“Attention everyone_ _! This is not a drill. Please find the nearest exit and calmly evacuate the premises. I repeat—”_

“Do we have to leave the room?” Pidge wondered.

Before Keith could reply, there was a frantic knock on their door, along with a muffled shout from an employee about them needing to evacuate right away. They could see hints of flashes and shadows of footsteps walking by peeking through underneath the door.

“I guess we do…” she murmured quietly, evidently annoyed at being cockblocked.

“Come on.” Keith patted her hip and quickly rolled off. “We can’t stay here.”

“Sure we can. How will they know there’s someone in here?”

“What if it’s a real fire?”

“And if it’s not? It usually never isn’t. Didn’t your high school have random fire alarms being pulled just because?”

“I’m not risking that chance with you,” Keith said and slipped on his shoes. “Let’s go.”

She frowned at the change in his tone of voice. He sounded… on edge.

“Pidge, please,” he begged urgently when she still didn’t move. “Put on your shoes and let’s get out of here.”

She didn’t say another and did what she was instructed to do, all while she watched Keith nervously bounced his leg and stared at the floor with a haunted look stamped in his eyes.

As they left the room, the only thing she could wonder about was what in the world could make his mood shift so suddenly.

* * *

  
After two hours had passed, the fire department and police force finally cleared out the scene, meaning everyone was allowed back inside the hotel to resume their night.

“I wonder what happened,” Pidge mused out-loud, stretching out her arms above her head. She and Keith were a few blocks down from the hotel, seated on a city bench. They wanted to be away from the crowd after all the nosey bystanders rushed over to see what was going on.

“Some drunken idiots were playing around with their lighters in one of the rooms and the window linens caught on fire,” Keith explained, sighing tiredly in the end. “I heard some people talking about it on the way here.”

Pidge wouldn’t have picked up on that. She had been practically sleep-walking the entire time and was on the edge of nodding off on Keith’s chest.

“You should’ve put on pants,” Keith said and looked down at her bare legs. “You’re getting goosebumps.”

She crossed her ankles and pulled her knees close to her chest. She snuggled against Keith’s side and wrapped an arm around his waist, shutting her eyes. Her body may be cold, but she felt comfortably warm inside. She was content. “I’ll live.”

For the next several minutes, the two sat in a cozy silence. Pidge dozed off quietly while Keith rubbed her arm, silently taking in their surroundings. He could hear the roars of cars driving on the highway not too far from them and loud cheers coming from an arena behind them.

He looked down at the girl in his arms, running the pad of his thumb down her small bicep. She seemed so tiny compared to him, especially curled up like this. He smiled, thinking how not that long ago, he had been wanting a moment just like this with her.

* * *

**  
3 months ago - Spring Break Bonfire**

Keith balled his right hand into a fist while the other gripped tightly around the Jack Daniel’s bottle he snatched off the liquor table. He didn’t even like Jack, but it had been the only unopened bottle within his reach and he needed something quick to do before he stood there like an idiot in front of Katie. At the very least, he knew Allura would appreciate it.

“There you are!” she exclaimed upon seeing him. “Where did you run off to? Oh, what’s that in your hand?”

“Here,” Keith grumbled and handed the bottle over. “Go nuts.”

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked, noticing how annoyed Keith looked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Keith replied and crossed his arms.

“Did you see Katie?”

“She’s with her friends.”

Shiro nodded in understanding. “Ah, I see.”

Allura frowned. “And what of it?”

“Uh, it’d be weird?” Keith reasoned. “I’m not going to try and talk to her when she’s with other people.”

“Why not? It will be less awkward.”

“I think that would be _more_ awkward.”

“Oh, come on! What could go wrong?”

“Do you have any sense of shame?”

“Life is too short to think about such trivial matters.” Allura waved her hand. “What is the phrase you Americans use? Go big or go home?”

“... I don’t think that applies here.”

“Not with that attitude!” Allura forcibly turned Keith around. “Now go. There’s a lonesome girl—”

“She’s got a boyfriend,” Keith muttered.

“—who is waiting for you to sweep her off her feet and carry her off somewhere where you two can confess your feelings in private,” Allura breezed through his sentence as if she didn’t hear him.

Keith looked over to Shiro for help. “Aren’t you gonna say anything?”

“I’m fairly amused right now.” Shiro shrugged. “And who knows—maybe Allura has a point?”

“Do I look like a homewrecker to both of you?”

“You’re more of a home _saver_ ,” Allura emphasized and pushed him. “Now go and woo your lady!”

Keith knew if he continued to protest, Allura would make a scene. Not wanting to draw any attention on himself, he went ahead to go look for Katie.

He did find her a half an hour later—while she was with Lance, Hunk, and Dominique. She had been laughing at something Hunk said and was pressing up against Dominique's side.

Not wanting to further ruin his night, Keith returned to his friends and decided to drag them somewhere else. Somewhere where he didn’t have to watch Pidge be happy in someone else’s arms while wishing she was in his instead.

* * *

**  
PRESENT**

Pidge flopped back on top of the disheveled bed as soon as she and Keith entered back into their hotel room. She groaned irritably and threw an arm over her head. “I’m not tired anymore.”

“I shouldn’t have let you napped for thirty minutes.” Keith sat on the other side of the bed, kicking off his boots. “That was my bad.”

“Eh, it was the best I’ve had in awhile.” Pidge rolled on her side and propped her head up with her hand, smirking directly at him. “You’re like a furnace. I think I’ve told you that.”

“You may have once or twice,” he replied playfully while looking down at his phone, checking his emails.

With Keith’s back still turned, Pidge crawled over to him and snaked her arms around his waist, pressing herself up against his back. She turned her face to the side to rest her head comfortably, internally thankful that the ache on the tatted part of her chest was temporarily gone, but was still mindful not to rub against it.

“P-Pidge?” Keith stuttered and went slack-jawed, eyes blowing wide as he looked back at her.

“When we left the room earlier, you were acting strange,” she said. “Want to tell me what that was about?”

He tensed up. “No, I wasn’t. I was acting like any person should during a fire drill.”

She hummed and squeezed his abs. “You know this is a two-way street, right? I spill my guts while you listen and vice versa.”

“I’ve shared stuff about myself.”

“And I confessed all my pent up anxieties and fears and frustrations to you on our third night together. Basically, you know me a lot more than what a friendly stranger should.”

Keith scowled. “So? That was all you.”

“The Cabernet might’ve loosened me up a little bit too.”

“What happened to you not forcing me to tell you anything?”

“If you’re getting upset at me for only asking once, then you’re really mad at yourself for wanting to tell me, but having trouble doing so. It explains why you’re shaking and gripping my hands so tight.”

Keith willed himself to stop trembling, but his clutch on Pidge remained. She sensed his nervous energy and squeezed him tight, as if wordlessly telling him that it was okay, and that she was sorry for calling him out like that.

They stayed like that for a while; enjoying each other’s silent presence. They were saying so many things to each other without actually saying them, allowing the gentlest caress of their fingers and intertwining them to convey all the words left unsaid.

Keith appreciated this so much more than he was willing to admit. Silence was his complacency—something nobody but Shiro could understand. It had taken the older man a long time to figure out Keith’s need for it sometimes, but for Pidge, she just seemed to… _get it._

When he felt her beginning to sway, he chuckled.

“I thought you weren’t tired,” he teased, breaking the quiet atmosphere.

“You make me comfortably warm.” She yawned. “So, it’s all your fault.”

He smirked and turned around, patting her arms lightly. “Come on—move over.”

Pidge released her hold on him and drowsily scooted over to her side of the bed, getting under the covers. “You know who for two people who aren’t a couple, we sure act like one.”

Keith hummed in agreement and followed suit, facing her. “But I do like where we are, since we started off as strangers.”

“Strangers who have been secretly admiring each other from afar.” She scrunched her nose and pulled the sheets up to her chest. “Ugh, that sounded really cliché.”

He shrugged. “I think it works for us.”

She smiled sleepily and closed her eyes. “Goodnight, not-boyfriend.”

He grinned back, letting his eyes close as well. “Night.”

Naturally, when sleep claimed them both, they dreamt of each other.

* * *

_  
“Where are you right now?”_

“Nevada,” Pidge answered and turned over on her side to reach for a pillow. She was on the phone talking to her mother while Keith went across the street to pick up lunch.

_“Oh? Have you met your Lady of the Night yet?”_

“Mom!” Pidge chastised and buried her face into the mattress. “That’s not… we’re not going to invite prostitutes in here! And I’m pretty sure that’s more in the downtown area where they offer that kind of service anyway.”

Colleen laughed through the phone. _“I’m only kidding. You said it had been a late night for you.”_

“That’s cause’ a few drunken idiots caught their own room on fire and the city department forced us all out of our rooms for two hours.”

_“Oh my… are you okay?”_

“I’m fine. I’m just beyond exhausted.”

_“Where’s your friend now?”_

“He’s out getting food.”

_“He?”_

“I-I mean she. _She._ She, yeah.” Pidge squeezed her eyes shut and mentally slapped herself for the slip up. “Sorry, it’s been a long night. We came home late from the casino and didn’t wake up until half an hour ago. A-Anyway, how’s dad?”

The door suddenly beeped, letting Pidge know someone was entering the room using a key card. She flipped over to see Keith entering, carrying plastic bags and a jug of water.

“Breakfast in bed?” Keith asked casually, setting everything on the coffee table. “I got your favorites.”

All the blood from Pidge’s face drained completely.

_“Katie...”_

Oh no—she was very familiar with that tone of voice from her mom. It wasn’t good.

_“Was that a man I just heard?”_

Fuck. Everything.

_“Katie?”_

Crap! She’s got to think of something quick.

“Uh, mom, there’s…” Pidge cleared her throat and sat up on her knees. “There’s something I gotta tell you about my—my friend.”

Keith froze, eyes blowing wide. He realized what he just did and was now internally freaking out as well. What was Pidge going to say? Was she going to cover this up? And how?

“She’s… transitioning.”

Crickets.

Crickets.

And some more crickets later…

 _“Ohhh,”_ Colleen said in an understanding tone. _“I see. So, she wants to be a boy or is it the other way around?”_

Keith’s mouth had fallen all the way open as he stared dumbfoundedly at Pidge.

“No, no. Ahh…“ She scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously. “She wants to very much be a girl…”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Keith complained and dropped his arms against his sides.

After several more awkward minutes of Pidge explaining to her mom about the faux situation, she promised to call back later before going to sleep and hung up. When she turned around to look at Keith, he had his arms crossed and was glaring at her.

Pidge looked away and randomly started drawing invisible patterns on the bed. “So…”

“You couldn’t have at least told her I was a _male?_ ”

“I panicked!” She threw her arms up. “It was the only thing I could think of.”

“Yeah, about that…” Keith furrowed his brows. “You don’t think using the trans excuse is messed up?”

“Of course I do and I feel freakin’ terrible.” Pidge groaned and covered her face in embarrassment. “If Hunk knew what I did, I’d never hear the end of it. He'd be so upset and offended.”

“What does Hunk have to do with this?”

“One of his nieces is in the middle of transitioning,” she explained and slouched back on her haunches. “Ugh, I screwed up.”

Keith sighed and put his hands up. “Let’s just eat and talk about this later. We’ll need to start heading down to the strip early if we want to get a good parking spot. Does your foot feel okay?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Good.” He walked towards the couch and took a seat, rummaging through the bags to find his meal container.

Pidge waited for him to say something else, or even raise his head to look at her. After several minutes passed of him quietly consuming his food, she got the hint that he didn’t want to talk to her.

“I’m gonna go shower,” she muttered and slid of the bed.

“Don’t you want to eat?” Keith asked, pointing at her food.

“Later,” she clipped, grabbing a new set of clothes she’ll be wearing tonight. “I feel gross and I want to wash last night’s grime off.”

Keith paused mid-chew upon the mention of last night. Pidge tried her best not to be affected by this and hurriedly disappeared into the bathroom.

He stared at the door, contemplating if he should bring her back out to talk. The intention instantly vanished when he heard the shower curtains being pulled apart and the showerhead going off.

He went back to eating his meal, deciding it could wait until after.

* * *

  
Pidge knew she had absolutely no reason to be behaving like this when she was the one who had fucked up, but she couldn’t help being defensive. It was in her nature, and now more than ever, she desperately wanted to break out of it.

The water in the bathtub had long since turned cold, but compared to how overheated her body felt, it was refreshing. Pidge lightly dropped her head against the marble tiles of the wall behind her, watching her fingers glide across the surface of the water, creating tiny ripples everywhere they touched.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting here; allowing her thoughts to go back and forth between what happened last night versus this afternoon. Time didn’t exist at the moment and she could care less about her skin shriveling up like a raisin.

Okay, that was a lie. She kind of cared. She kind of had to.

She made sure her chest stayed above water as to not wet the bandage covering her tattoo. It was still in the process of healing and she’d be damned if her forty bucks went down the drain because of her idiocy.

Her thoughts shifted over to Antok and everything she told him last night about Keith and the crazy, wild ride they’d been on so far. He had been patient and sweet enough to let her ramble off and listen to her, which she wasn’t sure why he did to begin with, but hey—he managed to get her tatted in the end and that’s all that mattered to his boss.

She rested her elbow on the edge of the bathtub and placed her chin on her hand, looking at the door solemnly, idly wondering what Keith was doing.

“Pidge?” he suddenly called and knocked softly. “You’ve been in there for over an hour. Is everything okay?”

No, of course everything wasn’t okay. 

“I’ll be out soon,” she said and dipped her arms back inside the water, bringing her knees close to her chest.

On the other side of the door, Keith sighed and pressed his back against it, dropping his head back. “Look, I don’t want to fight.”

There was a long pause. “We’re already fighting.”

“And you need to stop running away every time we do!” he snapped. “Seriously, Katie, that’s not going to keep working with me. I don’t know how long you’ve been doing this, but one of these days, you’re going to have to face your problems head on without hiding behind closed doors.”

It got real quiet inside the bathroom. Too quiet for Keith’s discomfort, and for way too long.

“Pidge?” he called softly, pressing his hand on the door. “Pidge, please answer me.”

He heard water being splashed around, then the sound of it beginning to go down the drain.

“Pidge?” he called again. “What are you doing?”

“I’m putting my clothes on,” she replied bitterly. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Keith noticed the distinct edge in her voice and faltered. “Okay, I’ll be out here wait—”

_Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz._

His attention shifted over to his phone thumping noisily on the couch. Thinking it was Shiro checking in, he walked right over and picked it up.

“Hey,” he greeted casually. “What’s up?”

_“Hello. May I speak to Keith Kogane?”_

He made a face and quickly glanced at the screen, realizing the call was coming from a number he didn’t recognized. “That’s me. Who’s this?”

“This is Mrs. Montgomery from the NASA Internship Program. I’m calling to let you know that you’re one of the finalists. Congratulations!”

* * *

  
The moment Pidge received an upset text message from Lance, she understood why Keith was excitedly talking to Shiro over the phone.

-x-x-x-x-

 **_Lance (2:13 PM):_ ** _  
_ _I didn’t get in_

-x-x-x-x-

Her chest ached from reading the clear disappointment behind her best friend’s words.

-x-x-x-x-

 **_Pidge (2:17 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Do you want me to call you?_

-x-x-x-x-

She didn’t wait long for a reply, which meant he had been hoping she would ask that question.

-x-x-x-x-

 **_Lance (2:18 PM):_ ** _  
_ _What about Keith?_

 **_Pidge (2:18 PM):_ ** _  
_ _Doesn’t matter. Let me get out the room first and then I’ll call you._

 **_Lance (2:19 PM):_ **  
_Thank you_ _  
You’re the best_

-x-x-x-x-

Pidge gathered her dirty clothes from the floor and stepped out of the bathroom. Instantly, Keith’s eyes pinned her with the biggest smile on his face and was still talking to Shiro. She didn’t stare back at him for too long and quickly dumped her belongings in the corner of the room before slumping down in a chair. After a moment, she decided to talk to Lance in private stepped out the room and into the hallway.

Once she found a spot on the wall to rest against, she took out her phone and called Lance. He picked up on the first ring.

_“Hey.”_

“Hey yourself,” she said and pushed all of her wet hair to one side. “You sound tired.”

_“Heh, I’ve been better.”_

Pidge sulked. “I’m sorry you didn’t get in. I know how much you wanted to be a finalist.”

_“... It’s just—it would’ve been cool, y’know? To at least have gotten that far—have concrete proof that I have what it takes to be an astronaut."_

“You wouldn’t have gotten this far in school if you didn’t,” she reasoned. “They don’t just accept anyone into your program. You know that.”

She heard a door behind her clicked open with a ruckus and peeked over her shoulder to see Keith poking his head out. He was about to speak until he noticed she was on the phone.

_“Maybe I was a fluke, or they just needed my grant money.”_

“You’re not a fluke,” Pidge replied sternly and turned back around. “Hunk and I have stayed up multiple nights with you to prep for some your exams. I know how hard you’ve studied and how serious you are about your career path. You’re anything but a joke.”

_“... Do you really believe that?”_

“Lance, come on—of course I do. You know that. Despite all the times where I tell you you’re hopeless because of your bad decisions, I do admire you. You see things from beginning to end and you’re never boring. One rejection doesn’t lessen your worth.”

She couldn’t see him, but she knew Lance was smiling through the phone when he uttered his next few words. _“Dr. Holt strikes again with her wise words. You know, you would’ve been a great therapist.”_

“Ha, no way.” Pidge laughed. “I’m not like my mom. She has the infinite willingness and patience to help others, but not me. My patience can only stretch so far.”

_“I’m just glad I stayed up to hear those words. I really needed to hear them from you.”_

“Why not Hunk?”

_“He would have just told me what I wanted to hear. I needed someone to be real with me.”_

She nodded in understanding. “Just don’t give up. There’s always next year.”

_“I won’t. Thank you.”_

“You’re hanging up now?”

_“I should sleep. I’m supposed to be awake in three hours to pick up my cousin from the airport. He’s joining in on the Europe adventure.”_

“Oh God. Now I’m sure one of you is gonna go to jail for something stupid.” Pidge rubbed a hand down her face, thinking about all the times she’s had to help Lance bail his family members out of jail over minor offenses. “Be careful and stick together.”

_“Same goes to you! I know how feisty and defensive you can be.”_

It was a good thing Lance couldn’t see how much that statement caused her to falter back like she had been physically hit. “Noted. Talk to you later?”

_“You got it, shorty. Oh, and tell Keith congrats whenever he tells you the good news.”_

“I will. Goodnight.”

_“G’Night.”_

* * *

  
Keith was aware that the ugly jealousy ripping through him was absurd, but he couldn’t help it. Listening in on Pidge’s conversation with Lance unleashed something… possessive within him that he wasn't even aware had existed until now.

He should be content to know that she was there for Lance—her best friend whom she had known for a long time—but he couldn’t stop thinking about how gentle she was when she was speaking to him. Her voice was so soothing, her face soft, her words so reassuring that the affection behind them was so obvious, it made him…

Jealous.

So painfully jealous.

He was jealous, over Lance of _all_ people.

And it showed.

Not in a way where Pidge could figure out the root of his sour mood, but enough to know that something had irritated him and that she was part of the problem.

She tried approaching to him calmly about it (since it had been _his_ brilliant idea to talk about their issues earlier), but there was only so much patience she could muster with someone who was equally as hot-headed as she was and with one who snapped for seemingly no reason. When she tried again and ended up getting the silent treatment, she completely gave up for the time being and minded her own business.

It had been a miracle the two even managed to leave the hotel together that evening and go down to the Las Vegas Strip. The tense atmosphere that enveloped them both made Keith want to repeatedly punch a wall while Pidge was left wondering what the hell crawled up his ass recently.

 _Whatever._  At least they could preoccupy themselves with all the sights and activities the Strip had to offer.

The place was crowded; filled with tourists, college students on summer break (much like themselves), and groups of families on vacation. It was hard to walk anywhere at a brisk pace, especially with kids running around playing games and people taking lots of pictures at random spots or stopping in front of them without warning.

Pidge had never felt so claustrophobic before, but she was determined to have a good time and pushed aside all her discomfort, even if she felt like she was trapped in a sea of people.

They made their way to the closest free show on the block, which happened to be a pretty spectacular fountain show. The water and lights were choreographed to the rhythm of the music, much like the volcano show they saw after. Further down that was a pirate performance, which they managed to catch the last fifteen minutes of.

Everywhere else they went looked like they needed money to spend, but even so, there were a bunch of sights to see. The entire strip was like a giant block party, only with an indoor amusement park, high-end restaurants, a shopping center, and nightclubs.

Despite all these attention-grabbing distractions, Pidge found herself looking at Keith every so often, hoping he would glance her way and throw her a smile that expressed how much he was enjoying spending time with her.

She received nothing, and that made her heart sink.

Did he not like her after all? Had last night been a fluke? Was he just caught up in the moment? Or had he realized how much of a complication she was and decided he was better off without her?

“Pidge, watch out!”

She didn’t comprehend the warning until Keith seized a hold of her arm and yanked her away from the busy street she somehow was walking into. The sound of a car screeching to a halt and honking desperately triggered her legs on auto-pilot and she scrambled away from the road until she collided against a warm body. She flinched away from the touch and looked up to see Keith staring worriedly at her.

“I…” Pidge began, knowing she owed him explanation for dazing out so bad, she nearly got runned over.

“What is up with you?” he demanded. “You've been weird all night. Every time I tried to talk to you, it’s like the lights were on but nobody was home.”

What? That was crazy. He had to be lying. _She_ was the one who kept looking over at him and wasn’t getting any responses.

“Pidge, say something. You’re spacing out again.” Keith grabbed her shoulders. “Hey—”

“Don’t touch me.”

He recoiled at the deadly tone in her voice. His eyes widened when he saw wet streaks down her face. “You’re crying.”

Pidge wiped her cheeks and looked down at her fingertips to see that they came back wet. She glowered angrily at it. Her breathing was becoming shallow and uneven.

She was about to reach her breaking point.

She knew it too, and there was only one thing she could do.

_Run._

* * *

  
If there was anything Pidge didn’t want Keith to witness, it was her losing her shit.

She had no idea where she wandered off to. One minute, she was bolting down the side of the street until her legs burned and the next, her feet had carried her to what she can only assume was inside a gentlemen’s club.

The place was dark; its main source of light was coming from the zig-zagged stage, where there were metal poles located at different sections. There was a red curtain, a disco ball ball hanging above, and a single cage at the end of a long catwalk. Fancy tables draped in bright fabrics and decorated with roses and scented candles surrounded the stage, giving off the lustrous vibe of the entire room.

Pidge stood near the bar in the back, watching aimlessly as everyone eagerly rushed to their seats. It could only mean one thing.

A show was about to begin.

As soon as the sultry music began to play and the dancers showed up on stage, Pidge snapped out of her blank state and started whipping her head around to locate an exit. Fuck, why the _hell_ was it so dark in here?

“Excuse me, ma'am—you can’t be standing around. You have to find a seat.”

Pidge blinked owlishly up at the waiter who spoke to her. “Huh?”

“I’ve spotted one near the stage.” He pointed at the direction he was referring to and began to usher her towards it. “Here, I can escort you.”

“What? Wait—no!” She protested. “I’ve got to find my friend!”

The waiter continued to convince Pidge to take the seat in the front, but she ignored him and pulled out her phone to call Keith.

“Shit,” she muttered, seeing he had called her six times. Just as she was about to call him back, a large hand pushed her forward.

“Hey!” she angrily shouted and glared up at a new face. “Don’t touch me!”

“You’re being a disruption,” they said. From what Pidge could tell, they appeared to be one of the bouncers for the club. “You must take a seat.”

“I’m trying to leave.”

“You can’t. We don’t open our doors during show time.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Club rules.” The bouncer grabbed her arm and began dragging her to the front.

“Let me go!” Pidge thrashed around. “Stop manhandling me!”

She managed to twist herself out of the bouncer’s tight grip and jerked away from him before he could get ahold of her again. She ended up tripping over a spilled beer bottle on the floor and felt her soul leave her body when her phone flew out of her hand and landed on the stage.

Her eyes popped wide open. “No!”

She watched in horror as her phone was kicked across the floor by a pair of pink stilettos and skidded to the end of the catwalk.

“Oh no,” she whispered and frantically gripped her head. “No no no no no—”

A moment later, a blurred figure sprinted past her and jumped on stage. It took Pidge half a second to recognize the familiar shape was—

“Keith!” she gasped. “Keith, what are you doing?!”

He couldn’t hear her; not with the music blasting through the speakers with a booming bass picking up in the background and everyone in the front bustling out in an uproar about him getting on stage.

Pidge looked around in a frenzy to see where the bouncer went. She cursed out loud when she saw him and others marching angrily towards her.

“Keith!” she called out again and shoved a waiter out the way to get to the front. “Keith, forget about my phone! We have to go!” She repeatedly pounded the surface of the stage to try and get his attention. _“Keith!”_

He continued to maneuver around the poles and dancers, trying his best not to touch them. One of them freaked out upon seeing him and he apologized quickly before moving along. He nearly tripped over a dancer’s leg when she was crawling across the floor and caught his balance by grabbing onto a pole that happened to be conveniently beside him.

The stripper occupying that space glowered at him. Keith jerked his hands up in surrender and disappeared out of her sight.

He spotted Pidge’s phone near the dancer’s cage and instantly went to go pick it up. Just as he was climbing down the stage, Pidge popped out of seemingly nowhere and clutched his arm, scaring the crap out of him.

“Gah! Dammit Pidge—!”

“You can yell at me later!” She cut him off. “Big and mean securities are trying to catch us. We have to get out of here!”

“Hey!” one of them hollered. “Don’t either of you move!”

Keith wasted no time scooping up Pidge and throwing her over his shoulders. She yelped and held onto him for dear life as he bolted out the club.

The only thought that ran through Pidge’s mind as Keith’s shoulder repeatedly jabbed her abdomen was that tonight could not possibly get any more crazy.

* * *

  
When they were a good distance away from the club, Keith placed Pidge on an empty park bench and slumped down beside her. He was breathing heavily out his mouth, eyes shut, and resting his head back, with beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his face. His chest burned and calves ached from the amount of energy he exerted in a short amount of time.

Pidge turned her body to face him. She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought against it and guiltily looked down at her lap. This was the second time Keith has had to chase her down because of her impulsive need to runaway. When the hell was it going to end?

“You okay?”

Pidge couldn’t help but scoff at his concern. “You’re the one who actually ran for their life and currently dying. Better question is, are _you_ okay?”

Keith nodded a few times, catching his breath. “I’ve had better nights. You know—when I’m not running away from strip club security.”

“Or about to get beaten up by a stripper on stage.”

They both glanced at each other at the same and held their gaze. A moment later, they cracked a smile and busted out laughing.

“You saw that?” Keith asked in between snickers.

“Who didn’t? The spotlights were on you the entire time!” Pidge giggled. “She would’ve seriously thrown you off the stage.”

“No kidding. That’s why I moved away from her _stat.”_

“You going up there was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen you do.”

“You looked like you were about to have a heart attack when your phone landed on stage—I had to get it back for you.” Keith reached inside his pocket and pulled out Pidge’s phone. “Here it is, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She took the device and held it protectively against her chest. “You’re the best.”

“No problem.”

Silence fell over them, but it was the comfortable kind. Whatever tension had been hanging in the air all night had completely vanished, leaving only with the complacent familiarity they were used to around one another. They took this time to observe their surroundings and relaxed in each other’s company.

 _‘Damn,’_ Pidge thought. How far did Keith run to get away from the club?

The park was nothing like they’ve been seeing at The Strip; meaning there were a lot less people, the colors weren’t as bright, and the noise was barely above average. There were benches, trees, bushes, sidewalks, swing sets—everything basic a park needed.

“This place reminds me of something about you,” Keith suddenly shared.

“Oh?” Pidge returned her attention back to him. “Are you talking about the time you and Shiro saw me, Matt, Lance, and Hunk at the park?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “You got a head start on the trails. Matt had been worried, but I just thought you wanted some alone time to yourself. Looking back at it, I think you might’ve been running away from something. Or someone.” He paused. “It would explain why we didn’t see you at the end of the trails since you ran home.”

She sighed and lifted her legs up to hug her knees. “Lance said something to me that upset me.”

Keith frowned. “What'd he say?”

“It’s no big deal. I’m over it now, I guess.” She shrugged. “He was just having a bad day.”

Keith wasn’t buying it. “You don’t just run away from situations that aren’t a big deal to you.”

Pidge bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “I don’t know why I do that…”

It was the closest to an apology Keith was going to get from her tonight, which was why he didn’t pressure her to say another word and decided to take the reigns of the conversation—something he rarely did.

“My dad was a firefighter,” he said. “He died while saving a little girl from a burning building that collapsed.”

Slowly, Pidge turned to face him, eyes wide and filled with empathy. “Keith…”

“That’s why I was acting like that last night,” he continued, looking blankly down at his clasped hands. “I was doing my best to stay calm, but inside, I was scared out of my mind. I remember when I was waiting for you to put your shoes on, I stared up at the ceiling and I—it felt like the whole room was starting to spin. It’s like I was trying to take in a full breath, but I could only manage to take in half of what I needed, cause’ it seemed like all the walls were closing in and for a moment, I could’ve sworn the sky was going to fall.”

It didn’t long for Pidge to put together what Keith had been experiencing, and it broke her heart thinking about it.

He had been having a mild panic attack.

“Everyone told my dad not to go back inside that building, but you couldn’t tell him anything.” Keith sighed heavily. “He really wanted to save that girl, and he did, but it costed him his life.” He glanced over at Pidge. “The little girl he saved was Allura.”

She blinked in surprise. “Oh my—Oh my God. That’s… That’s crazy.”

“Yeah,” he replied with a breathy laugh. “So, that pretty much explains my friendship with her, and how I made my way into Shiro’s family.”

Pidge reached over to lightly brush some of Keith’s hair behind his ear. “Your dad’s a hero.”

He nodded and dropped his gaze. “I miss him everyday.”

She continued to comb her fingers through his locks, giving him time to gather his thoughts. She may have joked with Lance earlier about not having a lot of patience in general, but with Keith, it was effortlessly infinite.

“He wasn’t perfect, obviously,” Keith rambled. “Like everyone else, he had secrets; all of them surrounding my mother, whom I don’t really know much about, except for some things here and there.” He reached up to grab Pidge’s hand and turned to face her. “Which was one of the reasons why I was upset with you earlier when you were talking to your mom. You not wanting her to know about me felt like—like you were hiding me. And I know it’s far from the same thing and you’re were just trying to save your own skin, but I couldn’t help myself. That feeling of being invisible once again resurfaced and after we’ve come this far, the last thing I want to be in my life is someone else’s secret.”

“Keith…”

“Don’t hide me from your family,” he begged, shifting closer and squeezing her hand. “At least not for long, please.”

“I’m not ashamed of you, or us, if that’s what you think.” She moved to sit on her knees and hooked her fingers on the collar of her shirt, pulling it down as far as she could to reveal what was underneath. “I could never be.”

Keith gasped, his heart skipping a beat when he gazed down at her chest and saw the infinity symbol with the numbers _06_ inside the left loop and _15_ inside the right one. He flickered his eyes up at her face several times, wordlessly inquiring her for an explanation.

“I got it the same night you got yours,” she answered. “I didn’t want to tell you, in case you, well, got freaked out. Or something.” She nervously bit the inside of her cheek. “It’s just that the date really means a lot to me—”

“I love it.”

“You… you do?”

“One hundred percent,” he smiled, still staring at the tattoo. “It’s badass.”

“... you have to admit it’s kinda cheesy.”

He shrugged. “So what if it is?”

“People will know how secretly cheesy I am when it comes to us.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.”

“Really?” she raised a brow. “This doesn’t freak you out at all?”

“Not in the least,” he said before closing his eyes and sweeping his head down to capture her lips in a long, awaited, desperate kiss.

Despite the chapped lips, bad breaths, and disarrayed appearances, the kiss they shared was like experiencing all clichés sung in every love song that’s ever been written.

Time had frozen. The world disappeared. Doubts faded. Zero gravity had taken over. The fireworks was bright and live in technicolor and… and...

It was epic in every way.

Pidge released her collar and clumsily cupped Keith’s face, closing her eyes instinctively. He moved one of his hands to the back of her neck and held her there, sliding and pushing his insistent lips against hers. She inhaled sharply when she felt teeth tugging her bottom lip and her body shuddered when a large hand traveled down her back.

Keith tilted his head and deepened the kiss, circling his arm around Pidge’s waist and pulling her close until there was no space between them. It was an awkward position to be in, but he refused to let this amazing moment end for something as insignificant as that and continued to swipe his tongue hungrily against hers.

Pidge didn’t want to stop either, but she also knew that if they didn’t, they’ll eventually forget where they were at and take their makeout session to a whole new level the public was not meant to witness. Now that the sexual tension had been fully uncovered, they’ll need to put it away again and save it for another time that was more appropriate.

“Keith,” she whispered breathlessly and pulled away. Barely. “I—we need to stop.”

He groaned and glided his mouth under her ear. “Why?”

She gasped when he began kissing down her neck and had to hold onto his shoulders to steady herself. Her next words stuttered out incoherently and died on her lips.

He smirked. “Sensitive?”

“Shut up.” Her pointed response came out garbled. “S-Seriously—ah, we gotta stop.”

Keith gave her one last peck on the lips before resting his forehead on hers. There was a pout on his face.

Pidge frowned. “Don’t give me that look.”

“You told me to stop kissing you.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered and buried her face into his chest. “You’re gonna kill me.”

“I’ve been saying that to myself everyday since I got in your car.”

She smirked and laid her head on his shoulder. “I know exactly what you mean…”

They remained in each other’s arms for a little longer, exchanging caresses and innocent pecks here and there, and never once taking their eyes off each other.

Keith was running on a high he didn’t know existed. He still couldn’t believe this was happening, and all he wanted to do was keep chasing it.

Which was why he knew they couldn’t go back to the hotel just yet. If they did, he was certain they’ll be rolling in the sheets within minutes of entering the room.

Pidge had made it clear before that she was tired of living life on the fast lane and wanted to enjoy life instead of speeding right through it. He promised her an unforgettable adventure, and he was going to keep his word.

“Let’s go back.”

“Back where? To _The Strip?”_ Pidge stared at him like he had lost his mind.

“Yep.”

“You really want us to go to jail tonight, don’t you?”

“Those security guards aren't going to keep looking for us all night—they got better things to do. Trust me.”

“What? You’re a pro at running from the law now?”

“Obviously.”

Pidge playfully rolled her eyes with a small smile. “If I see a warrant out for our arrest, I’m booking it again.”

Keith grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

With that said, he stood up and pulled Pidge onto her feet. The two joked and laughed all the way back to The Strip, where they resumed their crazy night and temporarily forgot about their problems and the rest of the world.

* * *

  
Keith couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy.

He couldn’t stop smiling like a lovesick goofball in the shower. He kept replaying the amazing time he and Pidge spent together at The Strip—all the shops they visited, the free shows they saw, the roller coaster they rode—it was like a dream date come true.

Then again, spending time with Pidge in general still felt surreal to him.

For the longest time, she had been a dream he’d been watching through many blurred filters. It might seem silly for someone like him—a reserved, intense, aggressive, and stubborn individual—to be this emotionally involved with someone else who he wasn’t familiar with. But here he was, fiercely throwing his heart out on the line without any hesitation and latching onto this phenomenal sensation inside his chest.

He wondered if Pidge felt as strongly as he did.

Keith turned off the water and stepped out the shower with an idiotic grin still plastered on his face. If Shiro and Allura saw him like this, their tag-team teasing fest would be relentless. He wouldn’t even mind, actually, and he might even welcome it.

He quickly dried off his hair and got dressed in his usual sleeping attire. It was almost four in the morning, but he and Pidge were hoping to at least get a few hours of sleep before checking out later in the afternoon.

As he walked out the bathroom, he did his best to ease the curve of his lips so that he didn’t looked too much like a weirdo.

When he unexpectedly noticed the puffy red eyes and crestfallen expression on Pidge’s face, he furrowed his brows and rushed over to her side.

“Hey,” he called out softly and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, taking a seat beside her on the bed. “What’s wrong?”

Pidge sniffled and wiped her cheek using the sleeve of her sweater. “I just talked to my mom. I told her the truth. I told her everything.”

Keith frowned and began rubbing her arm. “Tell her what?”

“About you. About me and you. About how I ran over your bike and broke up with Dominique and that—that you’re my…”

Keith sucked in a breath and held it, feeling nothing but dread consuming him. “A-And?”

Pidge ducked her head in shame, covering her face with her hands and exhaled heavily into her palms. She repeated this a few times before pushing all her hair back and raising her head to meet Keith’s nervous gaze.

“I have to go home. _Now.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♡


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